Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie….what can I say? Is it not on your list of 'Top Ten Comfort Foods'? Well, it's definitely on mine and not just a perfect comfort food but also a cheap and easy meal to make that is satisfying for the whole family. Also perfect for people with busy lives, the mince mixture can be made ahead and kept in the fridge or frozen for another day. Everyone has their own way of making this classic dish, I've tried a few over the years to end up with this one which has become a family favorite…hope you like it!!!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 medium carrots cut into cubes
1 cup of frozen peas
1 tablespoon mixed herbs
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
700g of Beef mince…
1 pint of beef stock
1 tablespoon flour
11/2 kilo of potatoes, boiled and drained
Milk 

Butter
Salt and pepper

Method

Heat oil in a large pot, add the onion and on a low heat, cook until soft and transparent.

Add the meat, and cook slowly, I usually put the lid on the pot with quite a low heat and it cooks nicely with the steam in the pot, but keep an eye on it, making sure it doesn't stick.

Once the meat has lost its red color and has cooked through, add the carrots and peas, sprinkle with the herbs, add Worcestershire sauce and mix well. Now add the stock and cook on a slow heat. Don't allow your mixture to dry out, adding water if needed.

When everything is cooked and tender season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and mix well. Your mixture shouldn't be too dense, if needed add a little water, so it has a nice sauce. I like making it this way, so my shepherd's pie doesn't dry out too much once the potatoes are added.

Add butter and milk to the potatoes, season with S&P and mash until creamy.

Place your mince in an ovenproof dish and pile potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so you've got a few peaks, that will brown very nicely once baked in the oven,

Bake for about 25 minutes, at 180c, until the top of the potatoes start to color and you can see the meat starting to bubble around the edges…this is the part when I say ''Mmmmmmm!!!''

Serve piping hot!





Androulla xx

Where to GO this weekend

Bump and drive! - Paula Manoli-Gray

I can honestly say that I do not remember a time when Larnaca was without bumps, hazards and diversions, otherwise known as 'roadworks', and I think that despite our irritation at this status quo, most of us have become completely and utterly used to a lifetime of upheaval and construction.

It seems that no matter how many times they dig the darn things up and re-tarmac them, the roads are never, ever smooth, even, one colour or without potholes. I would love to know (or I probably wouldn't…) how much of my car's wear and tear costs are as a direct result of the bad state of the roads. And there can't be a single parent who hasn't cursed the bumpy ride with sleeping babies in the back that you do not – under any circumstances - want to wake.

And it's not just the roads. On a daily basis, year-round, the town is built, rebuilt, smashed up, jiggled about and changed, but nothing actually changes at all!

There is also a strange habit for major construction or road works to be started as the tourist season begins. There will be no activity during the quieter months then as soon as the first planeload of sun-seekers arrives to herald the start of the warmer months, in come the bulldozers and diggers. I suppose the 'winter' brings a risk of rain, but our rainy seasons are very short so I don't buy that, and surely working conditions in the burning sun are a lot worse for the crews that toil all day and turn a shade that indicates they have no idea what sunscreen is (probably not manly enough for them).

The other irritating thing is the very unclear diversions that appear. As you are diverted (yet again), a couple of arrows will appear but will suddenly disappear leaving you driving round in circles. The next morning you may smugly congratulate yourself on remembering there are roadworks and take a different route only to find the works and diversion have moved and are once again directly in your path.

I often try to look at the town through a visitor's eyes, as I have indeed become immune and accustomed to the sight of building sites and torn up roads, and it ain't pretty. I can only console myself with the thought that visitors assume that they have come at a time when works have started and are not aware that it is a permanent feature of our town.

Still, we can't grumble too much as Larnaca is still pretty easy to get around with reasonable traffic at peak times compared to the traffic hell of Nicosia. And besides, my children are at an age now where it is not imperative to get them to sleep in the car, so we just make the potholes and bumps a game. But I do hope that by the time they are old enough to drive, the town will have reached completion of whatever all these works and construction were all for in the first place!

First appeared in The Cyprus Weekly, 18/01/14

Crochet Lessons

American Style Pancakes

Growing up in the U.K, I'm used to the paper thin pancakes, so delicious sprinkled with sugar and lemon, but sometimes I like making these American thicker pancakes, so tasty and easy to make, I usually make them quite early and keep in the fridge until ready to start making them. My favourite way of serving them is with fruit salad and agave syrup, but delicious served with assorted toppings like honey or jams or chocolate sauce. Here's the ever so simple recipe, a real breakfast treat for the whole family.....

Ingredients

1 cup flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted.
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Method
In a medium bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and set aside.
Whisk milk, butter and egg in a separate bowl.
Now combine dry ingredient to the flour mixture and whisk until quite smooth.
Heat oil in a large pan. For each pancake, spoon about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the batter into the pan.
Carefully flip with a spatula and make sure both sides are golden brown. Transfer into a platter and cover loosely to keep warm. You should get about 15 pancakes with this amount of batter.
Serve with any toppings you desire…..just so delicious…Enjoy!!!!


Androulla. xx