Culinary Adventures with Racheal--Episode One

"Episode One"...ha. Anyway, these headlines may or may not be semi-frequent in future. Just sayin'.

I think, one upon a time, maybe people didn't feel like they had to do "quick meals" and thus recipes took longer to make and more dishes. I'm trying to think that way in my cooking rather than, "How fast can I slap something edible on the table?" Undoubtly, we all have those days when slapping something to eat on the table is necessary, or all we have to give, but in general--at least these days, I am trying to go at my culinary adventures with a mind for flavor and learning to not rush through things (as well as thinking ahead). 

Of late, with the cold weather, I've kind of gotten fond of different varieties of meat-pies. Last night's was some version of Shepherd's Pie.

So much for artistic photos. Probably needed to have the flash on...

My ingredients were:

• Lamb--chunked up leftovers from Sunday's leg o'lamb
• Peas--frozen kind
• Onion--if you know me very well at all, you know I can't cook without onion!
• Carrots--peeled and chopped 
• Potatoes--I used canned since we didn't have any other kind 

​Spice-wise, I used salt, pepper, garlic (I think I ended up using both powdered and fresh), rosemary, oragano, and probably paprika (I think I forgot to write down everything)​. I ended up putting a splash of milk over the whole shibang.

This concoction then went into my pie shell.

Pre-Bake

"Hold it there a sec", you may say..."PIE SHELL?"

Heehehh. Oh yeah. PIE SHELL. I have created a non-wheat pie shell that actually WORKS like a pie shell (when cooked). It doesn't roll out at all really, so it's a nice pressy, messy job, but as this kid never minded getting her hands into her food...who cares?

The recipe (to be cut in half, doubled, tripled, etc. to your heart's content) is as follows.

• 1/2 c. Banana Flour
• 1/4 c. chopped Rolled Oats
• 1/4 c. Coconut Flour
• 1 stick butter
• a pinch of salt
• splash of water

As I typed that up, I realized I forgot the water last night. Oh well. I guess it didn't need it. (I also forgot the salt, but I realized that about the time I popped the pan in the oven.) Because our food processor (in which I usually make the dough) is broken, I finger mixed it, then did my usual press into the pan routine. The glass pan needs zero greasing (just like a regular pie). No pre-baking necessary.

Right, so I didn't chop the oats either--food processor, you know.

I guess it took around thirty to forty minutes to bake. I wasn't watching the clock that close (sorry! I bake by smell and color to a degree). The shell turns a nice shade darker or so when it is cooked. As the filling was more or less ready to eat before it went in the oven, that wasn't a consideration at all.

Decided against covering with tinfoil...

It was probably that splash of milk--and no binding material (like flour) in the filling--that made it rather "fall apart-ish", but with a side of sour kraut, my Lamb and Veggie Pie was, to all perception, enjoyed by all....

I doubt this will ever come out tasting the same twice, but the general principle is fun to make and good to the taste. I've made several different versions of this...and one day, I will REALLY make mincemeat (how I originally got started on "meat pies"--a off the cuff mimic off mincemeat). 

And that, my dear reader, is the end of Episode One. It's about time for me to go work on supper...

      Racheal