Shepherd's Pie: Truly Irish
Shamrocks…Leprechauns…Green Beer? Looking for something to make your St. Patrick’s Day truly Irish? Skip the Corned Beef and Cabbage this year and try a real Irish tradition: Shepherd’s Pie. Unlike Corned Beef and Cabbage, which is a strictly an Irish American dish, Shepherd’s Pie is a staple of traditional Irish heritage.
Shepherd’s Pie probably originated in Ireland sometime in the 19th Century among the peasantry as a cheaper version of “Cottage Pie”. Cottage Pie was made with beef, but In Ireland, beef was scarce and too expensive for most of the Irish peasantry to eat. Shepherd’s Pie was made with Mutton or lamb, a more affordable meat available to the working class. Today, the names are used interchangeably to describe a pie of flavorful minced meat and rich gravy topped with mashed potatoes. Delicious, no matter what you call it!
Lighten Up! Shepherd's Pie
A flavorful minced meat pie can not be made in a healthy kitchen…Blarney! I have developed a lighter version of Shepherd’s Pie that is full of rich flavor, but light on fat and calories. Lighten Up! Shepherd’s Pie uses well seasoned ground turkey and mashed cauliflower with fat-free ricotta cheese in place of the traditional lamb and mashed potatoes. By adding some super veggies to the meat mix and a touch of Irish stout, Lighten Up! Shepherd’s Pie is a nutrient packed dish, full of flavor and rich in tradition… a real pot of gold! “Shlainte!” (…On your health!)
Lighten Up! Shepherd's Pie Recipe
Yield: Serves 4
Preheat Oven: 375 degrees
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil ¼ cup chopped Onion
1 T minced garlic
1 1b ground Turkey
½ cup small diced carrots
½ cup small diced Broccoli
½ cup peas
¼ cup fine chopped Spinach
2 T Whole Wheat Flour
6 oz Irish Stout or Red Wine
½ cup Vegetable Stock
1 head of Cauliflower
¼ Fat-Free Ricotta Cheese
1 Egg White, beaten
1 tsp Water
White Pepper, to tastePepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Directions:
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Step 1
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Fill 2 Qt pot with water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil
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Step 2
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Clean Cauliflower and cut in to similar sized pieces. Once water is boiling, add cauliflower. Cook until “knife tender”. Strain cauliflower.
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Step 3
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In food processor, add cooked cauliflower and Fat-Free Ricotta cheese. Puree until smooth. Season with Salt and White Pepper, to taste. Set aside.
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Step 4
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Warm sauté pan over medium high heat. Add Oil, Onion, Garlic and ground Turkey. Season with Salt and Pepper.
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Step 5
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Once Turkey is browned and seasoned well, add Carrots, Peas, Broccoli and Spinach.
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Step 6
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Sprinkle turkey and vegetables with Whole Wheat Flour. Distribute flour evenly throughout mixture. Continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Be careful not to burn.
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Step 7
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Add Stout (or Red Wine) and stir. Mixture will begin to thicken. Once alcohol has reduced by half its original volume, add Vegetable Stock. Continue to cook over medium heat. Pan gravy will form.
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Step 8
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Adjust seasoning with Salt and Pepper, if needed. Remove from heat.
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Step 9
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Spray or grease casserole dish or 9 inch pie pan. Pour meat and vegetable mixture into pan. Be careful not to fill more than 2/3 full. (Individual servings can be made in smaller pans. Adjust cooking time according to size of pan)
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Step 10
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Drop large "pillow-like" spoonfuls of cauliflower mix over meat and vegetables.
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Step 11
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With fork, beat Egg Whites and Water together.
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Step 12
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With pastry brush, brush egg wash over the “peaks” of the cauliflower mixture.
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Step 13
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Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until is browned.
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Step 14
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Remove from oven. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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