Shepherd's Pie

adapted from an old issue of Everyday Food (November 2007)

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup peas
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup kale cut into ribbons
coarse salt and ground pepper
3 cups mashed potatoes

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat a large (5-quart) heavy pot or Dutch oven over high. Cook onion, garlic, and carrots in olive oil until onion starts to clear. Set aside. Cook beef, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and carrots; cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
Add thyme, ketchup, and flour; stir until combined. Add 1/2 cup water and peas and kale. Cook until vegetables are warmed through and liquid has thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon beef mixture into a 2-quart baking dish. Spread potatoes evenly over beef; using a fork, decorate potatoes with lines and peaks. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until potatoes are lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve.

creamy broccoli soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cups turkey broth (It's what I had in the freezer! You could make this vegetarian with veggie broth instead.)
7 cups chopped broccoli
1 large potato, cut into 1/2" pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and red pepper and cook until soft. Add broth, broccoli, potato, 2 cups water, salt and pepper and simmer, covered until veggies are very tender. Using immersion blender puree until smooth.

We served with homemade soda bread and cheddar cheese - and had left overs for lunch on Saturday :)

No picture of the soup... but here are my garden helpers


Happy Monday!

Roasted Veggies

David bought me a mandoline for Mother's Day. I've been using it to slice beets, turnips, potatoes, kohlrabi then bag it in foil with garlic, rosemary and olive oil and throw it on the bbq. mmmmm....