I’ve been thinking quite a bit about locally grown food lately — not unusual for me by any means,  but my thoughts have just been more intensely focused.  So it shouldn’t be unusual for an article like “Butchers’ Banquet:  England’s Lincolnshire Wolds” published in the October 2011 issue of Saveur to have an impact on me.  I’m always looking for truly good recipes for traditional food, and even though I’m not British, I have solid connections.   In 1881 at the age of three, my great-grandfather sailed with his family from Newport, Wales to San Francisco hoping to find inexpensive land where his family might grow apples.  But that’s a story for another day.

This is more about the group of men mentioned in the article who have gotten together over years and years to enjoy a Sunday meal each week.  They know where the food has been grown, how it’s been grown, and have prepared it to showcase its quality.  Of course, it helps that they’re in the business.  I’d like to be invited to a table like that to hear the talk and understand more about what they know.  I’ll work on that from here in San Diego and maybe, just maybe, by the end of this year, I’ll know more about the more than 6,000 farms in our county and the farmers who tend them.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share these great Steak & Guinness pies with you.  My father-in-law loves Stilton and will jump at any excuse to tuck his napkin into his shirt and cozy up to a plate of hot food like this with a pint.  The recipe isn’t challenging, but does take some time, so plan ahead.  It’s worth it.

Steak & Guinness Pie Recipe

Filling Ingredients

¼ c. olive oil
1-1/4 lb. beef chuck, cut into 1″ cubes
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large yellow onions, sliced
2 ribs celery, thickly sliced
2 small carrots, thickly sliced
2 T fresh rosemary, chopped
1 12-oz. bottle Guinness
1/4  cup flour
2 c. vegetable stock
2 tsp. mustard powder
1 bay leaf
1 T olive oil
10 oz. mushrooms, quartered
6 oz. English Stilton, crumbled
1 medium zucchini, sliced quartered
1 egg, lightly beaten

For the crust, use the dough recipe from my Cornish Pasties .

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Season beef with salt and pepper, then brown in batches, removing to a bowl as it finishes.
3. Add the garlic, onions, celery, carrots, and rosemary to the skillet and saute until softened and just beginning to brown.
4. Pour in the Guinness and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes.
5. Sprinkle the flour into the mixture and cook, stirring until mixed.
6. Add the browned beef to mixture along with any juices that have accumulated in the bowl, the stock, mustard, and bay leaf.  Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook partially covered,  about 1½ hours.
7. Make the dough for the tops while the beef is cooking.  Wrap in plastic and chill until ready to use.
8. After the beef mixture is done, remove it from the heat and set it aside.
9. In another skillet, heat the 1 T of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and zucchini and cook, stirring, until browned, then add to the beef mixture.
10. Add the Stilton to the mixture and stir in.  Correct seasoning.
11. Heat oven to 375°.
12. Divide beef mixture among four 6″ oven-proof bowls or pie pans able to hold up to 12 oz.
13. Roll the dough into a 14″ square and cut out four 6″ circles.  Press each circle gently down over the filling.
14. Brush the dough with the egg and with a pair of scissors, cut an “x” into the top of each.
15. Bake on a baking sheet until browned and bubbling, about 40 minutes.

Notes:

• This recipe was adapted from this one which accompanied the article linked above.
• I’ve made it a couple of times and although I have switched things up a bit each time, it’s just plain delicious.  Is there such a thing as gourmet pub food?
• The filling is very forgiving, but taking time to brown the meat properly without crowding it in the pan, and then allowing it to braise with the veggie mixture is key.
• You can make the beef mixture minus the Stilton a day ahead, covered in the fridge.  Reheat, add the Stilton, then place the dough on and bake.
• If you try the original recipe in the link, the purchased puff pastry is decent, but I loved the dough crust better.  It’s so easy to make — nothing fancy at all — give it a go!
• You’ll probably have dough and filling left over — I did each time I made it — so if you need to, you can probably squeak out six smaller pies.
• We enjoyed these pies with Bubble and Squeak.  Think mashed potatoes with veg and you’ll have it right.
• Now, for pork pie.  I have lots and lots of pork in my freezer from a local farmer.  Lots.

Suffice to say that my plans to get several posts written and queued up before we leave on vacation this Sunday never materialized.  Close, but no cigar. Living in a hobbling, semi-ambulatory state for the last five days put me in my place more than once, and I found myself thinking, Really?  Do I really need to write one more recipe?  Or should I focus on getting this knee better so I can actually walk?

Of course I need to write.  Just one more.

One.

The last minute shopping has been done, the house is relatively clean, tickets, shuttles, and reservations are in order.  Maps, check.  Routes, check.  Super-strength enormous bandaids for my feet, check.  Nine months of obsessive planning, check. It looks like we’re ready for our trip to the UK.

We’ll be in London for four days, then drive through Kent, and East and West Sussex, staying a couple of nights along the way, cutting up toward Oxford and then the countryside near Worcester where we’ll stay three days.  The last portion of our stay will see us in York, then Cambridge and Essex before we drive back to Heathrow and our trip home.  It promises to be a wild two weeks, and like the last time, I’m sure at least one intelligent Brit will say, “Why are you Americans always in such a hurry?  You can’t really see the UK in less than a month.”  And we know they’re right, of course, but who can afford it?  Who can stay away from work that long?

Not us.

If we had the time and resources, we’d have made it to Cumbria near the Scottish border to enjoy the beautiful Lake District along the way.  And we’d definitely would have made time for a drive through Dorset to Dartmoor and Plymouth, where one of my great-grandfathers boarded an old sailing ship to journey through the Straits of Magellan to Sebastapol, California more than a century ago.

There will always be another time for Cornwall, with its craggy coastline and Arthurian legends, but I couldn’t wait for that time to try an authentic Cornish Pasty.

Is it authentic if it’s made by someone from Southern California who’s had sound Cornish advice?

Who cares if they’re as delicious as these.

Seriously.

Cornish Pasties

For the dough…

2-3/4 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

3 oz. shortening

3 oz. unsalted butter

6 oz. cool water

For the filling...

8 oz. lean sirloin, chopped into very small pieces

1 c. turnips, cut into small cubes

1 c. tiny red potatoes, thinly sliced

1/2 brown onion, thinly sliced

1 leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves stripped

1-2 T Stilton

salt & pepper

extra flour

For the egg wash…

1 egg

1 T milk

Preheat the oven to  400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt well, then add the shortening and butter by “pinching” it into the flour until the mixture resembles clumpy oatmeal.  Add the water and toss with a fork until the mixture is uniformly dampened.  Pat the dough into a ball, and turn out onto a lightly floured counter.  Roll the dough out a bit, turning it occasionally, and folding it over itself to roll again.  Don’t fuss over it and worry.  You’re not making puff pastry.  Divide the dough into four pieces and set aside.

To make the filling, have the ingredients ready to use.  Roll out one piece of dough into a circle about 8″ in diameter.  Start with the potatoes and layer a few on one side of the dough as a base.  Add the turnip cubes, then the onions, sprinkle the leeks over, then the meat.  Sprinkle on some thyme, salt, pepper, and a bit of flour.  Add the Stilton last.

Brush some water around the edges of the dough, then lift one side of the dough over the fillings.  Press the edges together, pinching tears if they occur back together.  Roll the pastry onto its back so the edges are facing up like a stegosaurus.  Sorry.  That’s what they remind me of.  Crimp the edges together with a bit of a twisting motion as you go from one side to the other.  Place the pie onto a baking sheet and brush with the egg wash.  Using a knife, make a slit at the top near the edge of the crust for steam.

Repeat the process with the remaining three pieces of dough, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the heavenly aroma permeates your entire house, and the crusts are golden brown.

Notes:

• Many thanks to Joe’s Pastry for his great posts on Cornish Pasties.  Thanks as well to the lovely people who posted this video of their Cornish grandmother making pasties.  Here’s a version that shows the filling layering.  So helpful!
• If you have dough phobia, this is the dough for you.  It’s a breeze.  No chilling, no food processor, or anything.  It’s so easy to make and truly is something you can start an hour before you want to eat.
• I used a small amount of beef in these and it was the perfect amount.  Work to get those pieces small and they’ll cook nicely.
• There was not one single leak from any of my pasties.  I’m surprised.  How many times have you made full crusted pie, and there’s always a bubbly leak.  They came out perfect!
• When you think about the simple ingredients and prep for these, the flavor is incredible.  They’re quite large for one serving, but we didn’t have any trouble resisting eating our own.  They keep well in the fridge and can be heated in the microwave for lunch the next day, drawing attention from anyone within smelling distance.
• Evidently, original Cornish pasties had a bit of both sweet and savory in them, with the sweet part keeping to one side of the filling.  They’re traditionally eaten by hand using the crust as a sort of handle, which according to one source, used to be thrown out.  It had something to do with coal miners and impurities in the air or something like that.
• Although I will admit the leeks, cheese, and thyme are not authentic, I completely avoided putting in carrots which I understand is a seriously big deal.  Who knew?
• I think the possibilities are endless when it comes to fillings.  Sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash, apples, nuts….Just give me some time.
• There’s a pasty shop very near to the old inn where we’re staying in Canterbury, so I’ll have to let you know what the comparison is.
• In the meantime, make a pasty and let me know how your version turns out.

It’s becoming very apparent that I’m a complete failure at this business of working and trying to keep a food blog. I’m surprised, actually, because for years and years I managed to work a ridiculous number of hours and still have time to occasionally pretend that I might be Martha — sans the income, of course.  I’ve figured out that because I used to have so little time to do anything, I took quite a few shortcuts, or completely gave up what I enjoyed.

A few nights ago, I was yet again trying to explain to my very patient husband what the problem is;  I find solace in quiet activities that are often solitary in nature and often have a tangible product.  They’re things that keep my hands and mind busy and are often of a creative nature that can also be considered practical. Of course writing here packs several of those interests all into one nice product, so it makes sense that I’d enjoy it.  Unfortunately, for me it’s not very practical.

Therein lies the rub.

This would be the enormous excuse for why I’m just now getting around to posting The June Daring Bakers’ Challenge, hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart….er….pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800’s in England.

Making a Bakewell Tart isn’t all that difficult if you’ve had lots of practice making pie crust.  It’s perfect with a cup of tea or coffee and a good book enjoyed on a sunny morning patio, or near a fireplace on a chilly day.  In fact, making a Bakewell Tart isn’t all that time consuming, either.  No, it’s more the time needed (and enjoyed) to read the forum at the Daring Kitchen to see what creative ideas others are using to make the experience more challenging, or to sit at my Mac on reveal day, clicking from one blog to the next, enjoying the stories and photos that accompany each baker’s experience.  I seem not able to manage both.

So here I sit well past June 27th, just now showing my tart.  It’s the first day of the July 4th weekend and the start of our family vacation time.  The sky is cloud free for the first time in more than a week and blue as blue can be.  It figures.

I’m sure there’s a lesson in this somewhere, so perhaps I’ll take my book out on the porch, stretch my legs and turn my face to the sun to doze a bit and wonder what I can do to avoid giving up something I truly enjoy yet again.

In the meantime, here’s my delicious Mixed Berry Bakewell Tart.

Here’s the recipe as provided by our hosts:

Bakewell Tart…er…pudding

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it’s overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be “poofy” and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Sweet shortcrust pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle.  After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Kelly’s Notes:

• I chose to make an easy jam of blackberries and raspberries.  I used equal quantities (300g) of each cooking them over a medium heat with 30g. granulated sugar until soft and thickened.  Off the heat, a squeeze from half a fresh lemon stirred in before cooling finished it off.  I actually enjoy the seeds in berry jam so didn’t use a sieve to remove them.  This is Jasmine’s recipe, so thanks!  For the most part, I’ve made fresh fruit filling using a microwave method from Baking with Julia which would also work perfectly for this tart.
• I made the pastry by hand on the same evening I made the jam and kept both in the fridge for a day and a half.  I’d never used the grater on the butter before and really liked the ease of this technique which I’ll use from now on when making pastry and biscuits.
• I rolled the pastry between two pieces of plastic wrap before placing it in a 9″ square tart pan and trimming the edges.
• The rest comes together quite quickly so make sure you have everything ready!
• I used parchment to make a design to place over the almonds and dusted the warm tart with powdered sugar.

If you’ve made it this far down the page and are still reading, thank you very much.  I’ll figure out how and when I’m able to keep writing here one way or another.  I hope.

It's raining here today, so I'm as subdued as the grey skies.  After two mornings of very early morning walks as I attempt to get back into the "I, too, can be fit!" swing of things, I'm content to sit in the quiet sipping my coffee.  Thoughts come and go but hover around memories of our trip to the UK a few years go — the winding roads in Wales, ancient castle ruins tucked between soft green hills, engaging after dinner conversation with local farmers at an old country house, and Pub food. 
 

Last night, my husband's parents came by for an impromptu celebration in honor of my mother-in-law's birthday, and it seemed perfect to make a shepherd's pie.  I love to cook for them, and for years, they've indulged my culinary whims.  When we get together, inevitably, talk turns to travel, and specifically travel to the UK.  My father-in-law has always wanted to go, and so he graciously indulges us yet another sharing of our time there as we think of ways to get him there before too much longer.  He's 80 now. 

Of course the talk turns to food and a pub we enjoyed in Bath.  I don't remember the name of it because we made several attempts before we found one that would allow us to enter, my husband talking to someone inside while my son and I waited on the street.  Although pubs are more accepting of children than they used to be, not all of them are, and it was mortifying to my son that his presence caused us to have to search.  I felt badly for him knowing I would have been embarrassed as well. Finally we found one, and were led to the back, away from the bar to a small room.  So much for my romantic notions of cozy tables, old plastered walls and a roaring fire, no matter if it was the middle of summer with temperatures so uncharacteristically hot that everyone was talking about it.

Thank goodness for the waiter who indulged my husband with good-natured humor in answering a question about the rules of Cricket. He chided us about ordering "extra cold" beer and served us a meal of Shepherd's Pie that was truly memorable. 

Shepherd's Pie is a traditional English dish made of minced meat — usually lamb — and vegetables, then covered with mashed potatoes before baking.  If the dish contains beef, then it's referred to as a Cottage Pie.  Regardless, it's comfort food at its best, and one that will leave you smiling well into the evening after the plates have been cleared from the table.  You may have to waddle to bed, however, because it's quite filling.

Cottage Pie

For the filling…
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. lean ground pork
3/4 lb. ground sirloin
3/4 lb. ground lamb
1 c. onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 c. celery, chopped
2 zucchini, diced
1 large leek, light green and while parts only, sliced and rinsed
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, quartered
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. water
1 T concentrated tomato paste
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. dried thyme
4 c. beef broth
salt and pepper to taste

For the topping…
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. heavy cream
3 T unsalted butter
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium sauce pan, add the milk, cream, butter, and rosemary over low heat, stirring occasionally until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat and allow to sit at least 20-30 minutes.

In a large pan, cover the potatoes with water, add a couple large pinches of salt to the water, and put a lid on the pan.  Heat over high until the potatoes begin to boil, then turn the heat down to a low simmer until potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and add the ground meat, allowing it to begin to brown before stirring.  After the meat is browned, pour it into a bowl and set is aside. 

If necessary, add another T of olive oil tot the pan.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, and water.  Stirring occasionally, cook over medium heat until vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and leeks, stirring to incorporate, and continue to cook until the mixture is browned. 

Return the ground meat to the pan and mix well.  Add the tomato paste, and stir well.  Sprinkle flour over the mixture and let cook for at least a minute, stirring to make sure all the flour is mixed in.  Pour in the beef broth and stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Allow to simmer until the mixture begins to thicken, about 10 minutes.  Taste and correct seasonings.

While the meat mixture simmers, mash the potatoes.  Remove rosemary sprig from the milk mixture and pour the milk into the mashed potatoes.  Mix well, and correct seasonings.

Lightly rub olive oil on the inside of a large casserole and pour in the meat mixture.  Spoon dollops of mashed potatoes over the surface, and with a fork, lightly spread the potatoes to cover.  Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbling and top is golden brown.

Notes:

• If you've been reading here for any length of time, then you know I'm a reasonably diverse cook.  I'm horribly critical of what I produce, though.  It's rare that I don't like something I've made, but the times I've been truly wowed are few and far between.  This was one of those times.  I loved this dish.  It was piping hot, and so flavorful, I know not much time will pass before I want to try it again.  That almost never happens around here.  The only thing that would have made the meal more fun is being able to say "Cheers!" with glasses of Guinness or Boddington's.
• The inspiration for this recipe comes from Chef Tom Aikens whose recipe for Shepherd's Pie was featured in the January 2009 issue of Food & Wine.
• Continuing with my quest to use what I have on hand as much as possible, the biggest difference in the recipe was my mixture of meat.  I'd had some ground lamb in the freezer already browned and seasoned, so incorporated that with the other meat to create this very meaty dish.
• My veggie drawer is in much better shape than it's been in the past, so I was able to put the celery and carrots to good use in this even though both were a bit on the less than crisp side.  I had some snap peas and though about adding those, but decided there was plenty of veg in the mix.  
• I liked the mushrooms in this.  If you wanted to go meatless, bump up the mushrooms or use a mixture.  Plus, the original recipe calls for 2 turnips, so that would be quite substantial.
• This fed six hungry people large servings, but could easily feed 8.