The Gift Shepherd's Pie

I've always loved Shepherd's Pie, and decided to make my own fall vegetable-inspired version.  Instead of mashed potatoes on top, I used a pumpkin/sweet potato puree, and just to pump up the vegetable content, I added some Lacinato kale to the beef mixture.  I was incredibly happy with the results, and would happily eat this all winter long!

What you need:

• 1lb ground beef
• 3 ears corn, roasted and cut off of the cob
• 1 bunch Lacinato Kale, stems removed and leaves chopped 
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 small pumpkin
• 1 onion, chopped and divided into 2 piles
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 tbsp sage, chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp butter (or butter substitute, I used Smart Balance light butter spread)
• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp flour
• Salt and pepper, to taste

First, pre-heat your oven to 350F.  Pierce the skin of the pumpkin and the sweet potatoes in a few places, wrap the sweet potatoes in foil, and place all three in the oven, baking for an hour.  While they are cooking, heat 1 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté 1/2 of the chopped onion, setting aside when it's done.  Shuck the corn and season with salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste, then wrap in foil.  

When there are 30 minutes of cook time remaining, put the corn in the oven with the pumpkin and sweet potatoes.  When the pumpkin and sweet potatoes are done, unwrap the potatoes and corn and set everything aside to cool down.

Next, melt 1 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat, and add beef and season with salt & pepper and 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce.  Once the beef has begun to brown, add the remaining onion and carrots and continue to cook until the onions have become translucent.  

While the beef and onion mixture is cooking,  heat the remaining 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp flour in a small saucepan over medium heat, making sure to stir constantly.  Add the broth and 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce and whisk as it heats to prevent lumps from forming.  Let it cook down for 1 minute, stirring to ensure it doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan.

Once your gravy has thickened, add it to the beef mixture, stirring everything together.  

Next, add the chopped kale in batches, letting it wilt.    

Now, add your beef mixture to a greased baking dish, and cut the corn off of the cob, adding it to the baking dish.

At some point during your cooking, you will also want to make your potato/pumpkin topping.  This can be done at any point after the pumpkin and sweet potato come out of the oven.  To make the topping, cut your sweet potatoes and pumpkin in half, and (after removing pumpkin seeds) spoon the flesh into a blender.  Add in the cooked onion that you set aside earlier, sage, salt and pepper, and 1 tsp oil.  Blend until you have a smooth mixture, and then spoon it over the top of your beef and corn mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350F, uncovered.

Enjoy!   

Bread & Salt: Savory Mushroom Bread Pudding

The mushroom, of course!

Alice in Wonderland

I am a huge fan of bread pudding.  One of my favorite things to make and eat is leek bread pudding, which is full of cheese and cream and other delicious diet-killers.  So, I decided to try a lower calorie bread pudding for Stoney and I.  Rather than cream, I used 2% milk.  Rather than a pound of Gruyere, I used 5oz. of goat cheese.  And I loaded the whole thing up with mushrooms and other veggies (including leeks, because as I said, leek bread pudding!  nom!).  The result was a fantastically delicious bread pudding that actually fit in with a lower-calorie lifestyle.  Plus, it had the added bonus of feeling like we were cheating by eating it!

What you need:

• 1 1/2 cup 2% milk
• ~ 1/3 lb Cremini Mushrooms, chopped
• ~ 1/3 lb White Button Mushrooms, chopped
• ~ 1/5 lb Shiitake Mushrooms, chopped
• 1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
• 5 oz. goat cheese crumbles
• 1 loaf of Sourdough bread
• 4 eggs
• 1 Leek, white and light green part finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp Herbes de Provence
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp garlic

The prep-time for this is pretty short.  I got the whole thing prepped during my lunch hour.  Start by heating your oil in a large skillet over medium heat.   Toss in your leek, chopped mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste, and saute until the mushrooms have begun to soften and brown and the leeks are soft and becoming transparent.  This whole process doesn't take very long.  Maybe 10 minutes.  Next, add in your roasted red peppers and parsley, cooking for a few minutes more, just enough to get everything stirred together and looking fantastic.

Next, cut your bread into chunks around 1" each.

They don't need to be perfect, as you can see

Sprinkle a little goat cheese in the bottom of an 8 x 11 baking dish, add a layer of bread, and then add a layer of mushroom mix.  Repeat.  Sprinkle the last of your goat cheese on the top.

At this point, you can stick the baking dish in the refrigerator overnight or for the day.  This lets the bread really soak up some of the great flavors in the mushroom mixture.

When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350.  Whisk together the milk, eggs, garlic, and Herbes de Provence, then pour the mixture evenly over the bread.  Put the baking dish back in the oven for 15 minutes or so, and then bake for 45 minutes.

Let everything sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.