Shepherd's Pie with Middle Eastern Style Spiced Lamb

The classic Shepherd's Pie undergoes a makeover with the addition of exotic baharat, a Middle Eastern spice mix which combines sweet and warm elements, like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves with a subtle curry aroma from cumin and coriander. The baharat together with lemon zest, and lemon myrtle give the dish a Moroccan flavour. Serve with boiled vegetable dressed with lemon, and crispy minted potato skins as a side dish.



Spiced Lamb Mince
Adapted from "The Hairy Biker's Cook Off"

500 g lamb mince
1 T olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
2 celery sticks, finely diced
1 garlic, smashed
2 T plain flour
500 mL stock or water
1 x 425 g tinned tomatoes in juice
1 bay leaf
2 t baharat, see below
1 T Worcestershire sauce, omited for this dish
1 t lemon zest
1 lemon myrtle leaf
1/2 t salt

1. In a frying pan, add 1 t of olive oil.
2. Render fat from the lamb mince and continue to fry the mince in its fat until brown. Remove the mince and drain the oil.
3. Add more olive oil. Fry onions until soft. Add garlic, celery and carrot. Saute until the vegetables starts to soften. Allow 10 minutes.
4. Return the lamb mince. Stir in the flour and baharat.
5. Add stock and tomatoes. Top with enough water to cover the mince. Add bay leaf.
6. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove cover and reduce to a thick sauce.
7. Add lemon zest and lemon myrtle. Season to taste.
8. Remove from heat. Discard bay leaf.

Potato Mash

4 (800 g) potatoes
1/4 c cream
1/4 c milk
1 t butter, optional
salt

Boil the potatoes with skins for 40 minutes until soft. Carefully slice off the skins with 3 mm of flesh and reserve. Press potatoes through a sieve. Add cream, milk and butter. Season to taste.

Crispy Potato Skins

Skins from 4 boiled potatoes
1/4 t paprika
1/8 t pepper
1/8 t salt
1/8 t mint or thyme
2 t olive oil

Place potato skins on a baking tray. Sprinkle with paprika, pepper, salt and herb. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 220 degrees Celsius for 10-15 minutes until golden and crisp. Serve as as side dish with yoghurt or sour cream.

Baharat

1/2 t cardamom powder
3 cloves
1 t cinnamon powder
1/4 t nutmeg powder
2 t cumin seeds, roasted
1 t coriander powder
1/2 t turmeric
2 t paprika
1 t peppercorn

Mill and store in an airtight jar.

To make the Shepherd's Pie
1. Place cooked mince in a 20 cm casserole.
2. Top with potato mash.
3. Mark the mash with a fork.
4. Dot with 1 t butter.
5. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes until golden

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Char-grilled Aussie Beef Burger

Read the related post on "What is Australian Cuisine?"

How to char-grill or barbecue burger patties:

For Australian burgers, patties must be charred to perfection else they aren't dinkum. How to char-grill with cast iron griddle:

1. Preheat the griddle to hot. For cast iron grill pan, hot is around low-medium on an electric stove. When hot enough, water droplets sizzle and evaporate immediately to steam.
2. Rub oil from a paper towel.
3. Oil the burger patties with extra virgin olive oil. Do not pour oil on the griddle.
4. Cook the patties until moisture appears on the top before turning.
5. When cooked, the patties firm up. Remove and rest for 5 minutes in a warm oven.

For full instructions, check out this link. Instructions on using open coals are found here.

To make 2 Aussie beef burgers:

2 premium beef mince patties, recipe below, barbecued to Australian standards, ie charred
Italian inspired salad, with gherkins that kids hate, given below
Char-grilled seasonal vegetables, given below
2 fresh bread buns, best home made using recipe below

The ingredients are typical of flavours borrowed from Italian dishes, with a slight slant from Australian bush tucker ingredients, and Asian vegetables in place of lettuce.

To assemble the Aussie beef burger:
Slice bread buns in half and butter. Place until griller at 250 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes until crisp and golden. On the bottom bun half, place the char-grilled beef patties and vegetables. Carefully top with the salad vegetables and cover with the top bun half.

To serve the Aussie beef burger:
Skewer the burger to hold in place. Place on a plate. Serve with side sauces like Dijon mustard, chutney and tomato sauce.

How to eat an Aussie beef burger:
To eat the burger the Australian way as part of a BBQ, use both hands and chomp your way through. Make sure the TV or radio is turned on to a sports program. To eat the cultured way in a restaurant, remove the skewer, then carefully remove the salad half of the burger from the char-grilled half using the table knife. Eat with fork and knife, or carefully cut burger to bite size with the table knife in the right hand, and use left hand fingers to pick up the cut pieces. This gentile way of eating is a reflection of British heritage.



Aussie Burger Patties
250 g beef steak, minced
1 shallot, finely diced
1 garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs (home ground oregano, thyme, parsley)
1 egg, beaten
1 bread slice
1/4 t paprika or chilli flakes
1/4 t black peppercorn, freshly ground
pinch salt, pepper
pinch akudjura (bush tomato)
pinch mountain pepperleaf
1 t extra virgin olive oil, for oiling the patties

Mix all ingredients together after softening the bread with egg. Do not over mix: the burger should taste like steak with a meaty texture, not sausage mince. It is best to make the burgers fresh to avoid the marinated texture. This is the difference between the great gourmet char-grilled Aussie beef burger and the fast food burger. Just before cooking, oil the patties. On hot summer days, keep the patties in the fridge until ready to cook.

Salad
1 beetroot
1 t balsamic vinegar
1/2 t extra virgin olive oil
1/2 salad onion (red or white), slivered
1 T continental parsley leaves (home grown)
1 vein ripened tomato, sliced
2 pickled dill gherkins, sliced
2 slices quality cheddar

Boil the beetroot for 30 minutes until cooked. Cool, peel and slice. Dress with balsamic and extra virgin olive oil. Carefully stack the beetroot, onion, parsley, tomato and dill pickle over the slices of cheddar.

Char-grilled Vegetables
1 handful Asian greens (choy sum or bok choy)
1 capsicum, sliced into rings (slip in some chilli here)
1 onion, sliced into rings
salt, pepper

Wilt the Asian greens on the griddle. Char-grill the capsicum and onion rings. Remove from griddle. Season with salt and pepper.

Bread Buns
To make 4 x 100 g buns:
250 g (2 c) atta flour (wholewheat flour from Indian grocer)
1/2 t (2 g) salt
1 t (4 g) active dried yeast
2 t (10 g) sugar
170 mL warm water
1 t (4 g) Lecimax improver, optional for better rise and crust
1/2 t (1 g) lecithin granules, optional for longer shelf life
1/2 t vinegar, for faster yeast activity
1 t olive oil

Mix and knead dough as for bread making using the double proof method. Ensure the yeast is alive by activating with the warm water and sugar before mixing the dough. Divide into 4 buns. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Let rise for about 1 hour until double. Bake at 220 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.

Variations for Italian Bread

Add the following to the bread dough before shaping:
Flavour 1: 1 T chopped semi-dried tomato, 1 T slivered olives
Flavour 2: 1 T chopped dates, 1 t freshly chopped rosemary

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Savoury Mince and Vegetables

A successful family classic proven over time to thrill the worst food critics, beautifully showcased in a Jamie Oliver's cast iron tegame which survived the trip from Perth to Sydney in a suitcase. The dish cooks to perfection thanks to the even heat distribution of cast iron.

The dish combines the simple tastes of onion, garlic, celery and a touch of thyme. There is no curry spice to drown the natural enhancement of flavours achieved through browning of onions, celery, mince and flour.

There is no leftover since everyone wants double serve when Noodle Cook prepares the dish. Leftover savoury mince, if any, is ideal for toast, pasta, pies or rice.

Ingredients

1 onion, diced
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500 g lean mince
1 tablespoon low salt soy sauce
4 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried chives
500 mL water approx
1/2 cup water + 1 tablespoon cornstarch, optional
1/2 cup frozen corn kernel
1 potato
1 cup frozen peas
pepper to taste

Roux:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 tablespoons flour
1.5 cup water

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