It's getting cold outside and we've been spending much more time indoors, which means more cooking !!!
COZY cooking is what we like to call it. Lewis loves it .... he watches in amazement as a few simple ingredients turn into fabulous meals. One of his all time favorites is "pate chinois" as we call it, or better known as "shepherds pie". Ever wonder how it got it's name, cuz it is definitely NOT an oriental dish, well this is what Wikipedia had to say about it:
Pâté Chinois is not a Chinese recipe. It may simply be an adaption of "Shepherd's Pie", but one possible explanation for the 'Chinese' reference is that it was introduced to Canadian railway workers by Chinese cooks during the building of the North American railroads in the late 19th century[citation needed]. These cooks made it under instruction from the railway bosses (of English extraction) as an easily-prepared, inexpensive version of the popular cottage pie, with the sauce in the tinned creamed-corn serving as a substitute for the gravy. The French Canadian railway workers became fond of it and brought the recipe back with them to their home communities. From there it was brought to the textile mill communities of Maine (Lewiston), New Hampshire (Manchester), Massachusetts (e.g. Lowell and Lawrence) and Rhode Island (Woonsocket) where many French Canadians immigrated to work in the mills during the early 20th century.
So interesting I had no idea ... well there is the explanation, let me share my twist on the classic recipe!
Ingredients:
- 1 pound Ground Bison meat ( much healthier than beef or pork check this out http://www.canadianbison.ca/consumer/Why_Bison/nutrition.htm and yes it tastes good , I promise if you try it you'll NEVER go back to beef or anything else!
- 3-4 Whole corns ( I like to use whole corn and cut off the kernels after boiling it , just tastes much better than canned corn and less salt!)
- 4-5 Yukon Gold potatoes ( they are less starchy than regular and taste better too!)
- 2-3 cloves Garlic
- 1 Lg white Onion
- 1 Tbs of Oregano and Basil dried herb
- 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese cubed
- 1 Tbs Coconut oil ( is a high smoking oil great for stir fry's and your health!!)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Things you need:
- Small - med. pot to boil potatoes and corn
- Large frying pan to cook minced meat and potatoes
- Potato masher
- Rectangular, deep pan to put it all together in.
What to do:
- Peel and cube potatoes add cleaned garlic cloves and bring to a boil in pot.
- Chop onion add to frying pan with coconut oil and let onions cook until translucent then add ground meat and herbs. When cooked remove from pan and set aside in a bowl.
- When potatoes are cooked, ( you can easily put a fork through ) remove from pot with a straining ladle and put into the frying pan you used to fry up meat. Add cubed cheddar, let it all warm up together then mash. Adding a little potato water if needed. Use the rest of the potato boiling water to boil corn! I usually cut the corn in half so it's easier to cut off kernels once cooked, and fits into the pot.
- Cut kernels off corn and add to minced meat in bowl and mix all together.
Putting it all together:
It's super simple, put a layer of potato at the bottom of the baking pan, then add the corn and mixed meat mixture , and a top layer of potato and it's done!!!
Sprinkle with bread crumbs to add extra crispiness (optional)
Stay Cozy & Toasty,
we are!!!
L&L
