Shepherd’s Pie

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
1 1/2 lb of minced lamb
2 tablespoons of plain all purpose flour
1 cup of beef stock
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 teaspoons of worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon of fresh thyme or dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 lb of potatoes, peeled and cut in halves
2 oz of butter
1/4 cup of milk

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the onions for 4-5 minutes, or until soft and golden browned. Remove and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the same frying pan and add the minced lamb. Cook the lamb over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes.

Stir in the flour and cook for a further 1 minute. Break up any lumps with a fork. Remove from the heat and add the beef stock, stirring until blended. Bring back to the boil and stir occasionally until thickened.

Add the cooked onions, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and thyme or dried rosemary. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, mash the potatoes with the butter and a little milk until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350 ° F (180 ° C).

Transfer the meat mixture to a large ovenproof dish. Spoon over the mashed potato and fluff with a fork. Top with some extra butter.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

Persian Lamb Couscous

350g boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of fat and cubed
400g couscous
100g stoned dates, sliced
900ml lamb stock (without salt preferred)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olice oil
4 garlic gloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh root ginger
2 onions, halved and finely sliced
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and sliced
2 pinches of saffron threads
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
15g fresh coriander, chopped
25g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
seeds of 1 pomegranate to garnish
pepper to taste

Heat a large non-stick saucepan and fry the lamb cubes in batches until they are browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the oil to the pan, then add the garlic, onions ginger and chilli. Fry over a low heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.

Return the lamb to the pan along with the saffron, coriander, cumin, paprika and cinnamon. Cook for about 30 seconds whilst stirring well. Add the dates and 600ml of the stock. Season with pepper then cover and simmer gently until the lamb is tender - about 1 hour.

About 15 minutes before the lamb is ready, heat the remaining stock in another pan until boiling. Add the couscous and return to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat, tightly cover and set aside for 10 minutes.

Use a fork to lightly fluff up the grains of couscous, then add the pistachios and coriander. Pile onto a warmed serving platter. Spoon the lamb on top of the couscous, decorate with the pomegranate seeds and serve immediately.

Indian Lamb with Spiced Lentils

450g lean boneless lamb, trimmed of fat and cubed
600ml lamb or beef stock
225g green lentils
6 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
seeds from 8 cardamom pods
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 garlic gloves, crushed
5cm piece fresh root ginger, finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon turmeric
4 plum tomatoes, quartered
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
pepper to taste

Crush the peppercorns, cumin and cardamom seeds in a pestle and mortar or electric grinder. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large casserole dish, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the ginger, chilli and garlic and fry for 3 minutes. Add the crushed spices, cinnamon stick and turmeric, frying for 30 seconds while stirring constantly.

Add the lamb, stirring to coat the meat in spices. Fry gently to brown the meat all over - this should take about 4 minutes. Gradually add the stock, stirring well. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for 1 hour.

While the lamb is cooking, rinse and drain the lentils, then place them in a saucepan full of cold water. Bring to the boil. Boil uncovered for 15 minutes before draining.

Add the lentils and tomatoes to the curry and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the meat and lentils are both tender. Stir in the lemon juice and fresh coriander, seasoning with pepper. Serve immediately.

Rouille
Rouille is a classic french garlic mayonnaise with cayenne pepper and saffron. Saffron gives the dish its distinctively red color. The word “rouille” actually describes the red colour of the mayonnaise. Rouille is traditionally served as an accompaniment with french fish soup.

3 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon of mustard
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon of white wine
1 teaspoon of saffron
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups of olive oil
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
salt


Place the egg yolks, mustard, and garlic in a food processor and blend all the ingredients for 30 seconds until it turns into a puree.

Gradually add the olive oil to the puree while still blending, until you have a thick and smooth texture. When you have the desired consistency, place the saffron in the warm white wine and add to the mixture.

Transfer the puree to a serving bowl and taste. Season with some salt and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

Serve as a dip with crackers or it can accompany french fish soup.

Mama, I went for the burger and the Shepard's pie, both sounded great Thanks. CF:)