OK, OK... I know that after only 2 relevant entries, I kinda "crapped the bed", "dropped the ball", "fell off the wagon", whatever. It's not that this blog wasn't on my mind, because it WAS... It's more that I had hit a bout of writer's block, and was having trouble coming up with topics or recipes that people would actually want to read. I'm working on a couple of rant/advice topics, but they will take longer to turn out than recipes, because I want to make sure that I don't come across the wrong way in my writing (you know, like a raging B-word, lol!).
SO, for now, I've decided to do a series of posts that profile my FAVOURITE kind of supper dish - casseroles! I've you've ever dined at my house, it's likely that you'll have tried at least one of my "dinners in a dish". Casseroles, to me, are the ultimate in comfort food, simple to prepare, and you're often left with leftovers for lunch the next day. I will try my best to highlight one per week for the remainder of the Winter season because that's really the best time to enjoy one of these hearty dishes.
First up, a dish we had just last night. This meal makes its way into our menu plan at least once a month, and came from Steve's mother, although it was originally an Uncle Ben's magazine ad. There's no real name for it on the photocopy I have, but we call it "Rice-Topped Shepherd's Pie". I chose it as the debut casserole because it's good exactly as-written, but also very forgiving if you need to make substitutions for health reasons, personal preference, or simply just an "oops!".
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| Rice-Topped Shepherd's Pie |
Here's what you'll need:
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 carrots, peeled/diced
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
2/3 Cup beef stock
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
salt/pepper
3/4 Cup frozen peas
3 Cups "Uncle Ben's Converted" rice, cooked.
1 egg, beaten
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 Cup sour cream
Here's what you do:
In frying pan on stove top, heat oil over medium heat. Cook carrots and onion for 3 minutes. Add beef and cook for about 5 minutes or 'til browned. Drain off fat (if using extra-lean, you probably wont need to do this).
Stir in stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and salt/pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add peas, cook for 1 more minute. Spread evenly into 9x13" oven-safe dish.
Stir together cooked rice, egg, cheese and sour cream. Spread evenly over meat. Broil 7 minutes or until rice is heated through.
Tips, Substitutions & Alterations:
- I've made this casserole ahead of time and kept it in the fridge, to bake (@350-degrees) at a later time. Leftovers keep well in the fridge and freeze well too.
- I DESPISE waste, and if you're not careful, this recipe will cause you to dump a bunch of broth and tomato paste in the garbage. Most times, I use double the amount of tomato paste that it calls for (about 1/2 of one of those tiny cans), and half a can of stock. Then I mix up the leftovers in a small container, throw in the tablespoon Wocestershire sauce and freeze it for the next batch.
- The veggies can be played with in any number of ways. No onion? No sweat, just add another carrot or more peas. Don't like peas? Try some corn. Only have frozen veggies? No problem! My favourite mix is the one with peas, carrots, corn, green beans and lima beans all in the same bag.
- As with the veggies, the sauce can also be played with a bit. Beef stock, chicken broth, consommé, it really doesn't matter. So far, I've found the tomato paste is necessary for thickening, but the Worcestershire can be replaced by soy sauce in a pinch.
- The rice mixture really should NOT be played with. Use any type of rice you like, but the egg, sour cream and cheese are required for "fluff factor". The topping is really what makes this dish. I have added chopped spinach to it with success, and you could probably scale down the dairy by about half if you're looking for lean.
- It's good on it's own, but *I* like to have mine with a side of cranberry jelly (whenever it's left over, I will find a use for ANYTHING, haha!). Steve likes his with sriacha hot sauce (like everything else, lol), and I've seen others put some ketchup on it. :)
Stay tuned next week for another of "K8'z Kasseroles"! Lol! ;)
