Words and photography by Simone Costi
Mini Shepherds Pie
You can’t go past a Shepherds pie
3 sheets of shortcrust pastry
1 brown onion
1 cup of mushrooms
500g mince
Tin of crushed tomatoes
Good squirt of tomato sauce
Generous squirt of BBQ sauce
4 Desiree potatoes
Handful of cheese
Splash of milk
A few spoonfuls of butter
Pinch of salt and pepper
Sprinkling of dried mixed herbs
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Grease a muffin tray. Defrost the pastry, then using a saucer as a template, lay the plate over the pastry and cut around it with a knife. Then cut a 2cm slit at the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock marks on the circles. You should get four circles per sheet. Put the pastry circles into the muffin tin. Overlap the cut edges to make them fit neatly.
Chop the onion and slice the mushrooms. Heat some oil in a fry pan and sautee the onion and mushrooms. Add the mince and brown it. Pour in the tin of tomatoes and stir well. Then add the tomato and BBQ sauce and mix it through. Sprinkle in the dried herbs, salt and pepper. Allow the mince to simmer till the potatoes are ready. Peel and chop the potatoes and boil them till they are soft. Drain them and return them to the saucepan. Pour in a good splash of milk and a few spoonfuls of butter and a pinch of salt and pepper, then mash it all up. Add more milk and butter as it is required. Once it is nice and smooth, pop in the cheese and stir it through with a spoon.
Heap spoonfuls of the mince mix into the pastry shells till they are 2/3rds full. Then scoop some mashed potato on top. Once all the shells are filled, put the tray in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until the edges of the pastry turn golden.
Fruit Scones
Scones are a timeless favourite
2 1/2 cups of self raising flour
300g chopped, mixed dried fruit (you can get this ready made in the cake isle of the supermarket)
50g butter, chopped
3/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of water
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and line an oven tray with baking paper. Sift the flour into a bowl and add the butter. Using your fingers, rub it into the flour, then add the dried fruit.
Pour in the milk and water and stir it well with a spoon. Then flour the bench lightly and drop the dough onto it. Knead it gently, then flatten it out to about 3cm thick. Using mouth of a glass, cut rounds from the dough. Place them onto the oven tray and glaze them with milk. Sprinkle a bit of sugar on the tops if you like. Bake them for about 15 minutes or until they are golden brown. Serve hot with lashings of butter.
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