Smoked Shepherds

It was heavy cloud but there was no rain. The trees retained almost all their leaves and were very still in the slight breeze. Whether trying to make sense of the week at school, a term at university or, latterly, the events of the working week, I've always come back to the same wood over the last twenty years. Normally it's been with a Dog in tow. Various Dogs over the years have joined various incarnations of me in wanderings through the quiet security of the wood. It's the best place I know to switch off from the cares of professional life.

On this occasion the wood and the Dogg were aiding me in stepping back from a challenging, but not insurmountable, hurdle in my professional life that had raised its head that week. One the difficulties of doing the job I do is switching off from events at the office when I'm away from there. As I've got older I've learned to be less neurotic and anxious and learned to let go. On the last Sunday in September I found three ways to do this. The first was the walk in the wood.

The second way was music. On the player  when I got home was Dire Straits' superlative live album "Live at the Majestic San Antonio 16 August 1985". The album finds the band well into their record-breaking tour in support of their best-selling 1985 smash "Brothers in Arms". They are on form with strong versions of classics such as "Sultans of Swing" and "Walk of Life". However the pick up of the tracks is the deliberate, gritty opener "Ride Across the River".

The third way was creating a new recipe in the kitchen. I hit upon a vegetarian version the classic dish "Shepherds' Pie". I aimed to give the dish a smoky and earthy taste to reflect we were well now into the Autumn Season.

The Ingredients of this dish were was follows:

For the Filling:

One tablespoon of Caraway Seeds.
One tablespoon of Smoked Paprika.
One teaspoon of White Pepper.
One tablespoon of Tomato Puree.
One Leek, topped and tailed and sliced thinly.
One Red Pepper, de-cored and de-seeded and cut into small squares.
Two Shallots, topped, tailed, peeled and then diced.
Six Spring Onions, topped, tailed, peeled and then diced.
Three Hundred Grams of Quorn Mince.
Three quarters of a pint of Carlsberg.
A quarter of a pint of Vegetable Stock.

For the Topping:

Six Red Potatoes, peeled and cut into slices.
One Sweet Potato, peeled and cut into thin slices.

The method was as follows:

1 Fry in a Le Cresceut in Olive Oil the spices, Tomato Puree, Red Pepper, Leek, Shallots and Spring Onions on a medium heat for twenty minutes.

2. Add the Quorn Mince and cook for a further ten minutes.

3. Add the Carsberg and simmer for fifteen minutes.

4. Add the Vegetable Stock and warm through for ten minutes.

5. Steam both sets of Potatoes for twenty-five minutes.

6. Spread the filling in a rectangular, greased ovenproof dish.

7. Mash the Potatoes and spread over the top.

8. Bake for twenty-five minutes on Gas Mark Four until the topping is crisp.

In making this dish I had set out to create something with the taste of the smoked and earthy stews you find on the continent. I achieved this with the use of the Caraway Seeds, Smoked Paprika and the Carlsberg. The Tomato Puree meanwhile gave the filling a real richness and the Quorn Mince provided plenty of protein.

So as to ensure the topping was a little more healthy, I mixed the Red Potatoes with Sweet Potato which meant less starch that would turn sugary when consumed. It also made the topping a little brighter.

Smoked Top- the colourful pie is fresh out of the oven and ready to serve. 

Side on- the smoky filling sits well next to a sample of the topping