Shepherd's Pie @ my way

Hi my dear readers, how are you doing and how do you spend the whole last week? Me?! I'm quite busy with the daily routine and I've been out for almost the whole week for some personal stuffs. Back home to my kitchen, found my old oven has almost dying after accompanied me for all these years. Guess I got to look for a new one now. Any suggestions?

Meanwhile I'm using the portable air cooker for my daily recipes. Still can be done for those simple ones. 

Here, the 1st from the portable air cooker, Shepherd's Pie for our Festive dinner (Mid Autumn Festival) few days ago. Still goes well, and it did not dissapoint me...:) I did twist and turn the recipe to suite my taste, and I love it!

Ingredients:

2 tbsps olive oil

1 large onions (chopped)

1 carrot, finely diced

some green beans (as desire)

250g minced lamb ( I used the Australian Lamb)

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tbsp dried bazil leafs

5 tbsps tomato paste

2 tbsps brown sugar

a pinch of salt

Marinate Ingredients:

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

2 tbsps A1 steak sauce

a little black pepper

a little salt and sugar

* marinate the minced lamb with the sauces above for at least 2 hours.

Topping:

600g fluffy potatoes, peeled and quartered

30g butter

1/3 cup fresh milk

a dash of black pepper

~ Steamed the quartered potatotoes for about 5-10 minutes or until potatoes are soft. 

~ Transfered softened potatoes into a tray, add in milk, butter and pepper and mash until smooth and fluffy.

~ Set aside.

Method:

~ Preheat wok and add in 2 tbsps olive oil, saute the chopped onions till fragnant.

~ Add in marinated meat, at medium heat stir fry awhile. Then add in the rest of the ingredients into the meat and keep stirring for few minutes. If the tomato paste is too sour, may add some sugar to adjust the sweetness. Total cook time is about 15-20 minutes.

~ Transfer the meat to a 1.25 litre overproof casserole dish.

~ Preheat oven to moderate 180'C.

~ Spoon the mashed potatoes evenly over the meat and fluff up into peaks with a fork.

~ Bake for about35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden.

Serve hot with a glass of red wine, the wine really brings out the dish quite well.
This was my 1st attempt making a Shepherd's Pie, and i'm very satisfied with the outcome!
I will definitely put this recipe in my top list menu...hehe!

Happy Baking!

Homemade Aglio Olio with Crispy Turkey Ham

What's your dinner today? Usually we'll have rice with simple dishes, or chinese style fried mee or pasta or maybe some porridge. Sounds bored huh...;p Well, when you are lost and don't know what to cook for your little ones, here is my version of speghetti. A mix and match of Aglio Olio or maybe I should say, "Fried Speghetti My Way"...LOL!! No matter what I called this, my daughter is a big fan of it..;p

Recipe:
A handful of speghetti (this time I used vermicelli)
3 tbsps Olive Oil
3 tbsp minced garlic
Some white button mushrooms (sliced)
2 slices Turkey Ham (shredded)

Seasoning:
2 tsps black pepper
pinch of salt
some dried pasley (depends to individual)
a dash of paprika powder

Method:
~ Cook the speghetti or vermicelli to cook, drained and set aside.
~ Pan fry the shredded turkey hams till crispy with some oil and set aside. (shown above)
~ Heat up olive oil and pan fry the garlic till fragnant and add in mushrooms and all the other seasoning. Stir fry for awhile (about 2-3 mins) then add in the cooked speghetti.
~ Mix well under low heat and dish up. Top with crispy turkey ham and serve.

Its just as simple as that! "yummy yummy" my daughter said after every mouth she took...haha! She had a big plate, and it'll scares you if you have seen her portion of speghetti today! She even asked to cook again tomorrow...;p

Cheers!!