HMC No. 1: Homemade Sheperd's Pie

Assalamualaikum and Salam Sejahtera to all...

Obcces is on its 12^th month this month and by the 10^th of March this year it will be one year in the internet.  Since obcces went online there were good comments and of course bad ones too.  What’s most exciting was getting in the top9 in foodbuzz.com but now foodbuzz don’t do top9 anymore, so less excitement. As it’s for me, been fun most of the time, getting to get new foodie friends and networking with them and get to share ideas with people around the globe.

For the past three months obcces/I was not as active as it was before in posting recipes, it’s not because there was nothing to post/write but I was caught up with few personal things in my professional life that I am not wanting to share here but I think it is the ups and downs in blogging as I am not a full time in running this blog.

Now, I am so excited to get obcces moving by adding one new program that I called ‘Home Made Cooking’ or ‘HMC’ – which consist of recipes of my creation or modified and it is aiming for home cooking.  Most of this recipes were requested by readers and some will be taken from my very own collection recipes.

As I understand that in my professional line of work, I cook all the time which slowly killing my interest to cook at home because I don’t have time for it or I don’t have anyone to cook for, ~kidding~ actually, I don’t like buying ingredients which in the end will be spoiled because I never cook them.  Do you believe that I still have the fish that I bought for ‘Ginseng Dory Udon’ in my freezer? You better!!! That’s how lazy I am cooking at home.  And this has become habit for me, so I am removing this silly habit.

Cooking at home is way different from cooking in the restaurant.  In the restaurant, everything is there, from tiny equipments to the biggest pot, from eggs to Beluga Caviar, so I can just cook anything that comes out from my chef’s brain. While at home, limited equipments and limited ingredients is always the matter of cooking will never be perfect.  There goes the idea of having this ‘Home Made Cooking’ project taking place, also because my kitchen is one of those kitchen that lack of equipment, small and old but hey… believe me, when you cook good, no matter how limited is your ingredient or equipments, the out come is the most important things.

I will tried to make as simple as I could to present any dishes in HMC’s post, so that you can try them in your very own kitchen. Any comment or question you can tag in comment box at the bottom of this post.  You should be lucky if your have a very nice equipped kitchen or may be you can invite me to your house to cook for you… lol..

As my first post for HMC program… let me introduce to you…

obcces home made Sheperd's Pie 

Not your typical Sheperd’s Pie…this was requested by Izzah – 

When you cooking this your own, make sure you send me 

the picture of your ready to eat pie… ;)

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I am using mashed sweet potatoes as topping instead of the typical mashed potatoes and very basic ingredients.  No artificial product used! Now that’s very important in my cooking – always remember, healthy food builds healthy mind!

 Gather you ingredients

Ingredients: serving 4 people

500gm minced beef

2 nos red capsicum (diced)

2 nos carrot (diced)

2 nos onion (sliced)

800 gm fresh tomatoes (peeled)

5 nos shallot (sliced)

2 cups veggie stock

1.2 kg sweet potatoes

2 sticks celery (for stock)

Cooking oil (corn oil)

100gm butter

1 tbsp sugar

Tarragon

Salt and pepper

 Sauteed the beef

First, you got to sauté the beef until brown and strain out the fats mixed some tarragon, keep stirring to let it cook in balance. At this stage, season beef with salt and pepper to taste.  Once brown strain out the fats and keep it aside to cool.

Next, you got to make your own tomato sauce, this is my home version healthy tomato sauce. You’ll have to peel that tomato by blanching it to make it easy to peel.  The method is to cut out the tomatoes eyes, boiled water to boiling point and blanch them for about 15 second and let it cool in iced water then it’ll be easier to feel using a small knife.

Tips: make sure you washed the tomato before blanching as you are going to use the water to boil sweet potatoes.

Tips too: to save your time at this stage you may put in sweet potatoes and cook until soft. Make sure you add more water if the water is draining.

 

Homemade whole peeled tomatoes.

 You can use canned one tho but I am not encouraging... ;)

Then heat up a sauce pot and sauté onion and shallot to brown color. Then add in tomatoes and a cup of veggie stock, let it boiled.  Once boiled, simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes. Tomatoes should become soft and easy to crush using spoon. Do not add seasoning. This is a very basic tomato sauce which you can use for other cooking,

Tips: If you are going to cook another dishes that using tomato sauce, add more quantity of tomatoes and stocks. Sauce you can keep in refrigerator up to 3 days.

 

Simmering process, tomatoes already soft

While waiting for tomato sauce to be ready (during simmering), heat another sauce pot and caramelized diced capsicum and carrot. Add the beef in, let them blend, keep stirring and control fire when needed. Add in tomato sauce. –see picture below.

 

Pics from top to bottom: diced 

capsicum and carrot, caramelized and 

beef added, tomato sauce added.

At this stage, then you can add seasoning: salt and pepper to taste and sugar. Low fire and let it simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, add a little veggie stock if its too dry.

Tips: Add some more tarragon. Do not add too much sugar as sweet potatoes already has sweetness.

Tips too: the beef sauce shouldn’t be watery, it should to be thickened.

At this stage your sweet potatoes must be cooked already, then put them in the bowl and start mashing them, add butter and stir with wooden spoon.

 

Once the beef ready, pour in to your casserole and flattened using spatula.  Spread mashed sweet potatoes for topping.  At 180’C oven, bake your pie for about 40 minutes.

 Flattened in casserole...

Tips: I used end of fork to make spiral line shape on top of the potatoes before entering the oven.

And then, it’s done…

 Half gone...

This dish is good to be served in family dinner or party gathering.

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Veggie stock...

 

Use trimming (carrots and capsicum), onion (cut quarter), shallot (cut half) and celery (chunk). Boil in 2 liter water, once boiled simmer let it simmer not more then 30 minute.

Tips: veggie stock can be chilled in refrigerator until 3 days, you might need it for making soups.

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I wish you good luck trying and always remember… eat healthy food… ;)

Regards, Chef Nash