Tuesday, February 21, 2012

VHD - 2/12 Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

This one was fun making, it's always fun to use up leftover vegetables and clear the refrigerator! Also, this dish is packed with the goodness of fresh vegetables and couscous, considered to be one of the healthiest grains-based products.

Ingredients:
Top coat:
Potatoes - 4, medium
Butter - 1-2 T
Hot milk - 1/4-1/2 T

Bring a pot of water to boil. Cut the potatoes in half and add them to the boiling water and cook till soft. Drain, remove the peel and put the potatoes back in the pot. On medium heat, mash the potatoes well. Add the butter and milk and continue to mash till all lumps are gone! Add some salt, pepper and some dried basil. I also added a pinch of turmeric powder for some color. You could also add some spring onion greens and chives.

Filling:
Onions - 1/4 of a big onion, finely chopped
Tomato - 1/2 of a medium, finely chopped (you can be generous here, I am using leftover veggies remember!)
Vegetables - I used a mixture of cabbage, turnip, scallions, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, carrot and peas - all finely chopped, you could use frozen vegetables too!
Couscous - 1 cup, fine grain - heat 1 cup of water in a small non stick pan, add 1 t butter, some salt and bring it to a boil. Add the couscous, turn off heat and cover and let it sit for 5 minutes. Fluff it up so the grain are not sticking to each other and set aside. You could use flavored couscous too.

to give you an idea of the amount of vegetables I used .. 
In a non stick pan heat 2 T of butter and saute the onions (till brown), tomatoes, salt and pepper. Add all the vegetables, some vegetable stock, basil, oregano. Mix, cover and cook till the vegetables are cooked. Uncover, make some space in the center, add 1 T of butter and flour, whisk to form a roux and mix in the vegetables. After a few minutes, add the couscous and mix well. Put the lid back on, turn off heat and let it sit for a few minutes.

In the mean time, preheat the oven to 375 deg F. Prepare your baking dish. I just went ahead and greased the dish (2 Qt.). Add the filling and press it down and pack it. Now add the mashed potatoes and spread it with a fork to give a nice top coat.


Bake for 15-20 minutes till the potatoes look nice and brown!


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