Gourmet Cottage Pie

[ayoub]

I'll post pictures later, but here's the recipe:

2 lb's freshly minced (ground for my US buddies) prime rump steak.
1/2 lb mixed oyster and shitake mushrooms, chopped.
1 large onion finely chopped.
1 sweet pointed pepper, cut into strips
4 cups passatta
3/4 cup tamarind sauce
Oregano
Basil
Monterey Jack cheese
Mature cheddar cheese
Mashed potato
Chilli powder
Salt
White Pepper

Firstly, I warmed up about three tablespoons of oil in a large wok, and stirred in the onion and mushrooms. I added salt, white pepper, and chilli powder to the meat, and mixed it well. Once the onions had softened and the mushrooms were heated, I added the meat. Stir fried the lot of it until the mixture was cooked through. Then I added the passatta (Italian tomato sauce, basically), the herbs, and the tamarind, and stirred everything together, allowing some of the liquid from the sauce to boil off. Tasted for spice levels, and added a little extra... Because I like it hot! I took about a quarter cup of diced Monterey Jack, and mixed it in until it was melted through, then took the wok off the heat, and added the peppers.

I laid the mix out into a couple of large casserole dishes, topped them with mashed potato and grated cheddar and Monterey Jack.

Baked in a 220C (425F) oven for about 10 minutes, until the cheese was golden.

The end result was so moreish... three of us finished the lot off in 2 meals! If there was some left, I'd be eating it now! Adding the peppers last adds a crunch to the dish that really works :D

Comments

[heardthatnoise.livejournal.com]

Yes! This recipe makes me so happy.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D

Thanks :D

[carocrow.livejournal.com]

Sounds Yum :-) We like Shepherd's Pie. I don't know if we can get tamarind sauce here, though, it's not the center of cultural living. Perhaps we can find it in Shreveport.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

A lot of asian / oriental stores will sell tamarind in blocks... You can soak it, then push it through a strainer to make your own sauce :D

[chiropteraclan.livejournal.com]

I'm going to try your recipe. It's less complicated than the one I use. Have you tried to make it without cheese ever? Thank you for posting this!

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Naaaah I love cheese too much :D

I hope you enjoy!

[chiropteraclan.livejournal.com]

:) I'll have to make it on a weekend. There isn't enough time to cook during the week. I will let you know how it comes out. :D

[simonssezsam.livejournal.com]

Many thanks for sharing this recipe! I'm going to make it for my dude crew tomorrow night. Only change is, due to time issues, I might toss the meat in the crockpot w/ its seasonings to cook through the day. Will update!

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

That'll work :D

Cool! :D

[juciest.livejournal.com]

http://www.natureandmore.com/English/Products/Vegetables/Pepper/Ramiro_Sweet_Pointed_Pepper.cmt

Is this what you mean by pointed pepper? I've never heard of a pointed pepper...lol

Passatta is pureed tomatoes, right? I buy Pomi pureed tomatoes (parmalat) in a carton. No preservatives! :D

Mature cheddar cheese...I'm sorry, that struck me as funny. We call it 'aged' cheddar. I wonder if it acts more responsibly when it's mature. :P

It sounds yummy. When I make shepherd's pie, I don't use tomatoes though. Food coma time?

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's them!

Passatta is exactly that, with some herbs added...

And yeah... Mature... :D

And yes, definitely food coma :D

[patchworld.livejournal.com]

I don't have Monterey Jack cheese and Mature cheddar cheese in the local shops. Can I use any other cheese?

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Gouda works very well for Monterey Jack, or even some Emmental...

A regular cheddar will be fine instead of an aged one, but you might want to grate some Parmesan on top... :D

[nonickname96.livejournal.com]

*saves post to memories*

Sounds so majorly yummy! I wanna make it!

♥

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D

Let me know how it turns out f you do!

♥