Made in America – Shepherd’s Pie — Pasticcio del Pastore

As I mentioned the other day, today is the first day of “Made in America” featuring American recipes made here in Italy. Per vedere la ricetta in italiano, andate qui.

My starting off choice was (American Style) Shepherd’s Pie. Yes, I know, shepherd’s pie is made with lamb in England, but we in the states make it with beef, so don’t shoot me.

This is one of those rib-stickin’ good recipes that is great on a cold day. I have to admit, that O really liked it too. In fact, I made a whole pie for the recipe even though there are only two of us and he made me take it off the table because he kept going back for more. So, don’t tell me that Italians don’t like American food!

Anyway, here we go with the recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs potatoes
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 lb ground beef
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup of red wine
2 cups beef broth
dash of thyme
2 heaping tablespoons flour
2 ounces grated cheddar
salt
1 1/2 tbsp butter

To make the mashed potatoes for the top, I used a potato ricer. Believe me, it’s much easier. Instead of having to wash, peel and cube the potatoes before boiling, all you have to do is wash them, then boil them whole. Once they’re cooked all the way through, just pop them in the ricer and squeeze. The skin stays behind.

So, if you’re using a ricer, just wash your potatoes and start them boiling. If not, you’ll need to go through all the other steps before setting them to boil.

Now, while they’re boiling, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the carrots and onions over a medium heat for about 5 minutes. You don’t want them to brown, just soften. Add the ground beef, raise the heat to medium high and cook until the meat is browned. After about 3 minutes, add the red wine, stirring until the wine is absorbed by the meat. Add the peas and allow it to cook for about 2 minutes, then add the flour, mixing well until it is absorbed into the meat. Once the flour has been absorbed, add the beef broth and time, taste for salt, and add if necessary. Lower the flame and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes, reducing the amount of liquid, then turn off the heat.

By this time, your potatoes should probably be done cooking. Drain them and turn your oven on to pre-heat at 400 degrees.

Rice or mash your potatoes, adding the butter and salt and mixing well. There is very little butter added because the potatoes need to be dry in order to absorb the beef gravy.

Pour the beef mixture evenly into a deep dish pie pan or a rectangular pyrex dish. Now, cover with the mashed potatoes. Once the meat has been completely covered, use a fork to sculpt the potatoes so they are not too smooth. The potatoes will brown better if they have more hills and valleys. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese (I had to substitute galbanino, a type of provolone cheese, here in Italy because I have yet to find cheddar cheese.).

Now, pop in the oven for 25 minutes. Then remove and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Pasticcio del Pastore
Ecco una ricetta americana tutto in un piatto ideale per i giorni freddi.

Ingredienti

1 kg patate
150 g piselli (freschi o congelati)
500 g carne macinata
2 carote, tritate
1 cipolla, tritate
1 bicchiere di vino rosso
mezzo litro di brodo di carne
pizzico di timo
2 cucchiai (abbondante) farina
50 g Galbanino grattugiato
1 cucchiaio olio d’oliva
sale
20 g burro

Lavare le patate e metterle a bollire. In una padella, versare l’olio d’oliva e fare cuocere le carote e la cipolla per 5 minuti sul fuoco medio, non devono rosolare, solo diventare tenere. Aggiungere la carne macinata, alzare il fuoco a medio-alto e farla rosolare. Dopo 3 minuti, aggiungere il vino rosso, mescolando fino a quando il vino è stato assorbito. Aggiungere i piselli e lasciare cuocere per 2 minute. Poi, aggiungere la farina, mescolando bene. Quando la farina è ben distribuita, aggiungere il brodo di carne e il timo, assaggiare e aggiungere il sale a piacere. Abassare la fiamma e lasciarla cuocere per 5 minuti prima di spegnere il fuoco.

A questo punto, le patate devono essere cotte. Metterle a scolare, e prescaldare il forno a 220 gradi.

Schiacciare le patate in una terrina, aggiungere il burro, il sale, e mescolare bene. Il puré di patate deve essere abbastanza secco perché assorba il sugo della carne.

Versare la miscela di carne in una tortiera, distribuendola uniformemente. Adesso, ricoprire la carne uniformemente con il purè di patate. Una volta distribuito, usare una forchetta per scolpire le patate – non devono essere liscia. Quando le patate sono più ruvide, diventano più rosolate. Prima di infornare, ricoprire con il Galbanino grattugiato.

Infornare a forno caldo a 220 gradi per 25 minuti.

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