Hi folks! A brief post this week - the recipe for the cottage pies as promised, including the miracle mix which you can also use for Shroppie pies and stew.
Also just to say that I’ve just learned how to put my posts on Facebook. This is the fourth post, in case you’ve missed any. Have a lovely week. Let me know if you try the recipe.
VEGETARIAN COTTAGE PIE - makes 6 individual portions
200g carrots 250g onions
100g celery 100g leeks
250g sweet potato 100g aduki beans
100g mushrooms 50g brown rice
20g tomato puree 20 ml sunflower oil
15 ml soy sauce 15g gram flour (if necessary)
10g vegetarian stock cube 3g salt
3g dried mixed herbs 1g black pepper
60g vegetarian or vegan Cheddar cheese
And for the mash – 500g potatoes + 500g sweet potatoes.
Use 250g mixture + 170g mash + 10g grated cheese topping per cottage pie.
METHOD
Wash the aduki beans and rice, then soak in a large pan of cold water overnight. Or, if you forget, you can soak them in a large pan of boiling water for one hour.
Strain them, then boil for one hour in 1.25 pints of fresh water. While this is happening prep the veg into bite-size pieces. Strain the aduki beans again but save the water. Some of it will have evaporated so make it up to 1.25 pints again. (This is the secret ingredient – it makes excellent stock.)
Sauté onions and carrots for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the veg and sauté for 10-15 minutes.
In a bowl mix together soy sauce, vegetarian stock mix, herbs, tomato purée, salt and pepper, with a little of the aduki bean and rice stock. Add to the veg and also add beans and rice.
Keep back a cup of the stock (for mixing with gram flour) and add the rest to the mix. Cook well for 30-40 minutes but half-way through add the blended stock and gram flour.
Leave to cool – overnight if possible. The mix is much easier to work with when it is cold, e.g., when putting the mash on top. (I cook the mash the next morning and let it cool a little but it is easier to use when warm.)
Deposit in small trays. We use the same aluminium ones as we do for our nutroasts. Bake for half an hour at 190°C (Gas mark 5)
