Gelato di Riso (Rice Gelato), Homemade

“We gotta go to Vivoli!”, my friend Monica insisted.

According to her trusted travel resource, Rick Steve’s Travel Guide, Monica informed us that Vivoli is said to make the best gelato in Florence, or in Italy for that matter. And Rick recommends trying the rice gelato.

"Rice ice cream?” I said, “never heard of that before! But rice + ice cream together? What’s not to like? That must be good".

Monica didn’t have to convince the group any further. Off we went to find Vivoli.

This conversation happened many years ago one summer. A couple of my colleagues and I decided to spend our summer break in Italy while being student-trainees in Germany. We were the typical student travellers – backpacking and staying in youth hostels. We really didn’t have that much money but we made the most of what we had. We met Monica while in Verona (of famed Romeo & Juliet), our first leg of the trip. Since she was traveling alone, she decided to hook up and tag along with us. So we were together in the next 4 weeks exploring Italy and became fast friends. Those were good times – no, best times.

It was in our stop in Florence that Monica mentioned this Gelateria that is a must-visit according to Rick Steve. (Rick Steve’s is a good resource when it comes to budget travels!)

After a bus ride and a lot of walking, we finally managed to find Vivoli. It was a small Gelateria, but boy, was there a long line outside of the shop! Not surprising though, because if it is the best Gelateria in Florence, then it follows that the place should be popular. So we fell in line. It must have taken us around 30 minutes to finally get our turn. Not bad, really. We were on vacation so time was on our side.

Needless to say, I had my Gelato di Riso for the very first time then. And I’m telling you, that was a piece of heaven in a cup (they don't have cones)! Yum'oh! It was so creamy, not too sweet -– everything that you had hoped a gelato would be – but with rice! It’s like a frozen rice pudding, but better! Indeed, our efforts paid off.

Last month, I got an ice-cream maker. It was one of those points-reward that Mr. J got from his job – so we got it for free! I love free stuff, don't you? Of course I wanted to make ice-cream immediately to try my new toy. For others, the logical thing to do might have been to make something basic for the first time. Something that’s probably from the recipes that come with the manual. But no, I am not like that. (Yeah, I’m crazy). I wanted to do something ambitious. I wanted to do something simple -- but not that simple, you know what I mean? (If you're a girl, then you'd know what I mean!)

So just out of nostalgia from that trip in Italy – and because I am Asian – I decided to make rice gelato. It had been many years ago since I had this ice cream. I don’t remember exactly how the taste was but all I know was that it was very good!

And so I began searching online for some recipes, which eventually led me to David Lebovitz’, The Perfect Scoop. This recipe book received so many good reviews from Amazon buyers, and most of all, it had the Rice Gelato recipe that I was looking for!!!! So that sealed the deal. I bought a copy.

After so many years, I had rice gelato again! It was creamy, super delicious. The only complaint Mr. J had was that it was too "orangey" - which was my fault. If you read the recipe, it required two strips of orange zests. Well, I made a mistake of pureeing the zests with the rice mixture (wasn't really a mistake because I decided to do it). Plus, I also added a teaspoon of orange liquour. So you can really taste the orange in the ice cream. Mr. J found the orange taste overpowering - maybe so - but I liked it. With the ice cream I made the hazelnut tuile cookie, that I shaped using the wooden handle of a spoon (for that cigar shape).

This rice gelato is my entry to this weeks' Lasang Pinoy Sunday (La.Pi.S) - Melted Bliss. Eating this ice-cream took me back to Italy..... What a bliss, indeed!




Rice Gelato (Gelato di Riso)
David Lebovitz

1/2 cup Italian Arborio rice*
3 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean*, split in half lenghtwise
Two 1-inch-wide strips of orange zest
5 large egg yolks (save the whites for use later)
1 cup half-and-half or cream
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. In a 1.75 to 2 quart baking dish, mix together the rice, milk 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt. Add the vanilla bean and strips of orange zest.

3. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the rice from the oven and remove the foil. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, then continue to bake the rice, uncovered for another 30 minutes.

4. Remove the rice from the oven a second time, remove the vanilla bean and orange zest and briskly whisk in the egg yolks at once. Then whisk in the half and half or cream and nutmeg.

5. Puree half of the rice mixture in a blender or food processor until chopped fine then stir it back into the cooked rice.

6. Chill the mixture in the fridge (I left mine for 2 hrs), then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

*NOTE: I made mine 1/4 c arborio rice and 1/4 c sweet "gelatinous" rice, aka sticky rice. I thought that the sticky rice would make the ice cream a lot creamier, which it did. I didn't have a vanilla bean, but I used a good quality vanilla bean paste. But if you don't have the vanilla bean or paste, I believe that vanilla extract would do.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies & 100th Post

It’s my 100th post! Yay!

I don’t know what but the number 100 sounds like a big deal, huh? It’s like reaching a milestone. It did take me a year to reach 100 posts but still, it is some sort of an achievement considering that I’ve had homepages in the past that I haven’t attended to after the novelty wore of… However this time, I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow this blog, at least, not for a very long time.

This past week turned out to be eventful for us -- an action packed, hair-raising thrill of an experience. I’m not talking about the Twilight movie (which was neither scary nor suspenseful) but rather, I’m talking about our REFGRIGERATOR CATCHING FIRE!

Yep, we had fireworks right in my own kitchen. Imagine the horror of having our fridge burst into flames right before me? You don’t see that everyday, do you? We had power outtage one evening, and the surge of current when the electricity came back on apparently was too much for my old, faithful fridge that she gave up on us. She went out not just with a bang but with fireworks to boot… literally!

Thankfully, the fire didn’t catch any paper, plastic or cloth nearby (there wasn’t any, whew!) so it went out immediately just as instantly as it happened. But of course, I already screamed “FIRE!” to the top of my lungs that Mr. J must have leaped from upstairs going down to the kitchen as he was there in an instant. Scary thing, huh? Once again, I am just so grateful that nothing worse happened – it could have razed our house to the ground, you know.

Well, this leaves us with no choice but to get a new fridge! Yipee! And who wouldn’t want a new fridge? Yeah, I wish that the timing was better (with what’s going on in the economy, I don’t think we should be spending on anything right now), but this case is an exception. We gotta do what we gotta do, right?



After all that excitement, I certainly needed something to calm me down .. something familiar, comfortable and easy but yummy - like this white chocolate macadamia cookies.

This is Mr. J and I's all-time favorite cookie. It's especially good for me as I need to stay out of caffeine, which dark chocolates (or regular ones for that matter) have plenty of. Though technically, white chocolate is not really chocolate - but it's a good enough subsititute for me. I'm willing to be fooled, if it's this good.

So, do you like your cookies crunchy or soft? Well, I'm kind of in between. I like them not to crunchy - I like them a bit softer, so I underbake them a little bit (about 2-3 mins), and just leave them a minute or two on the cookie sheets before removing them. Also, I feel like it's better to toast the nuts before mixing them in the batter as it helps heighten the flavor of the macadamia in the cookies.

Keep these away from you... They're dangerous. You don't want to eat them all at once, do you?



White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
10 ounces white chocolate* (chips or bars cut in chunks)
1 cup macadamia nuts*, chopped into chunks

1. Heat oven to 375 F. In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt with electric mixer until creamy.
2. Add eggs, beat well. Stir together flour, and the baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture,beating until well blended.
3. Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
4. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Make sure to space them evenly to allow for spreading, about 1-2 inches apart.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. (Edges are golden brown and center is set.)
6. Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool completely.

*NOTE: Use good quality chocolate like Ghirardelli, Callebaut or Godiva. It makes a difference. If you're toasting the nuts, make sure that you cool them first before adding on to the batter. If you can't find macadamia around, probably a good substitute would be cashew nuts. As mentioned above, undercook slightly for softer cookies.

Sweet Challah

This past week has gone by so fast. I couldn’t even believe that the weekend has come, and just as quickly, is gone. But you know what they say, when one is busy, one barely notices the time. I was defintely preoccupied at work. It was a pretty interesting week for me, to say the least. I wish I can engage you in an office gossip – but nah… LOL… you wouldn’t appreciate that in a food blog, would you now? ;oD

Anyways, I’ve always been a person who cannot sit still. I like to be busy. No, I thrive at being busy. I am always doing something even when I am sitting down. I’m the type who’s ever on-the-go and always ready to rock and roll, so to speak. I’m used to last minute changes and I adapt immediately to situations when need be.

The downside of this is that it isn’t easy for me to relax, and by this I mean, to just sit down and do.... nothing. I feel like there is always something important for me to do with my time. I have to deliberately slow down. Mr. J is very good at reminding me of this (thank God). I realize that I do need to take a break once a while. It is indeed important to take the time to appreciate the things around us, to enjoy and take in what we have at the moment, otherwise, we might miss out on a lot (and it might be too late when we realize that we did).

Anyways, enough about my rambling.



I love bread. Growing up though, I wasn’t so much of a bread eater. As you know, being Asian means that my house had more rice and noodles than bread. In the Philippines, the only meal served with bread is breakfast (pan de sal). Other than that, bread is more of a snack item to Filipinos than anything else.

However, my short stint in Europe years ago, and now being based in the U.S., have slowly changed me. I’ve come to eat bread with my meals more and I don’t crave rice as much as I used to. (Ugh. I can almost hear the gasp of some Filipinos who may scream “sacrilege!” )

I love to bake bread. Nothing compares to that sweet aroma that tantalizes our senses when baking at home. Unfortunately, with all the hustle and bustle of life, I rarely get the chance to bake them--- and I mean bake ’em in the old fashion way of kneading and manhandling the dough! Hehehe…. (It’s a good stress reliever, actually).



One of the breads that I love eating is Challah (pronounced “khal-lah” - you gotta make that gutteral sound too). Challah is a braided, eggy loaf of bread traditionally eaten by Jews during Sabbath, holidays and other ceremonies. It is very close to the French brioche.

I decided to make Challah for the first time. I buy it all the time so might as well try my hand at it. It came out good, didn't it? With a bit more practice, I'll have the braiding part down in no time.

Nothing beats home-made breads. They’re the best.

Sharing this home-made Challah to Lasang Pinoy Sunday: Bready Or Not. Lasang Pinoy (La.Pi.S) is a weekly food thematic photography meme, Filipino style.

This is also my entry to Homemade#2 Bread, an wonderful event by Ben. Hop over to there to check out all the wonderful creations by other home bakers.

Sweet Challah
from Cooking Light
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup warm water (100°F to 110°F)
3 tablespoons honey
Dash of saffron threads, crushed
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3 cups bread flour (about 14 1/4 ounces), divided
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon cornmeal
1 teaspoon water
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon poppy seeds* (I used more than this amount)

Preparation
1) Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water in a large bowl; stir in honey and saffron threads. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add melted butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and egg; stir well with a whisk.

2) Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 3/4 cups flour to yeast mixture, and stir until a soft dough forms. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.

3) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will be very soft).

4) Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 40 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

5) Punch dough down. Shape dough into a ball; return to bowl. Cover and let rise an additional 40 minutes or until doubled in size. Punch dough down; cover and let rest 15 minutes.

6) Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), on a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 25-inch rope with slightly tapered ends. Place ropes lengthwise on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal; pinch ends together at untapered ends to seal. Braid ropes; pinch loose ends to seal. Cover and let rise 20 minutes or until almost doubled in size.

7) Preheat oven to 375°.

8) Combine 1 teaspoon water and large egg yolk, stirring with a fork until blended. Uncover loaf, and gently brush with egg yolk mixture. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon poppy seeds. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

*NOTE: You may also leave the poppy seeds out, or substitute with sesame seeds, or maybe use sunflower seeds for that matter.

Mustard Flavored-Tuna & Veggie Tartlets and a Blog-anniversry

I have an impulsive nature. I always have ever since I was young. But I have to admit that with age comes restraint (I'd rather call it wisdom though). I’d like to believe that since I am now much wiser, hence I'm less impulsive.

Well, this blog is a result of such impulse. I didn’t plan on having a food blog, never thought of having one ever before in my life – although to be honest, I had already been browsing other food blogs for recipes and inspiration. But one day after entertaining some friends in the house, I wanted to take a picture of my husband’s creations, thus, the thought of starting my own food blog came to mind… and I acted out on it immediately.

And so, Spice Of Life was born in cyberspace around this time last year. Wow. Time indeed passes by so quickly. This is one of those rare times that my impulse yielded some positive results.



I am truly thankful that I have this blog. Despite the dedication and the hours that it requires, I do love sharing my passion with you. This blog had opened a whole new dimension of culinary exchange for me and have allowed me to meet some of the most talented, creative, fun and kindhearted people from all over the world. Albeit these friendships are virtual, nevertheless I feel that sharing a common love and interest in food and food photography have somehow forged a bond among us.

So, to all those who faithfully visit and for those who are just checking this blog out for the first time – THANK YOU. I do hope you’ll continue to come, and I look forward to learning from you in as much as I hope that somehow, I’ve inspired you to cook your meals at home through this blog.

To celebrate my blog's 1st birthday, I’ve decided to do a recipe that’s from one of the most favorite food blog that I visit regularly – Bea of La Tartine Gourmande. I distinctly remember this particular dish of hers, because I was attracted to its vibrant colors, not to mention that I love Tuna. It is a very pretty and nutritious dish…. and did I tell you that I love tuna? :o)

So to celebrate my bloganniversary, I have created Bea’s Mustard-flavored Tuna and Veggie Tartlets. The only minor thing I did to the recipe was to change up the flours. Her’s is a gluten-free version but since I have no gluten problem, I decided to use ½ cup wheat flour instead of quinoa, and ½ cup teff instead of millet flour. Thus, my crust came out darker than hers.



This is a very filling but healthy dish. I especially like the fact that you get the crust, tuna, cheese and veggies all in one bite! I’m glad that I tried this. If you want to, check out the recipe here

Bea, I hope that I’ve done justice to your beautiful creation.

I am also serving this dish to the Lasang Pinoy: Tri-colore. The three colors here being the green from the zucchini, red from the tomatoes and white from the cheese.

Lasang Pinoy (La.Pi.S.) is a weekly thematic food photography meme, Filipino style.

Involtini Of Beef

The South Beach Food and Wine Festival is going on right now even as I write this... and I couldn't go. I'm absolutely bummed out.

It is a 4-day festival taking place by the beach (U.S.'s Riviera, South Beach) which showcases the amazing talents of the world's most renowned wine makers, celebrated chefs and culinary personalities. It's the ultimate event to go for foodies and foodies at heart!

The truth is, it's not so much as I couldn't but that I didn't go - for valid reasons. The tickets for this event are a little expensive. With how the economy is going nowadays, it just doesn't seem right for me to be spending between $200-$400 (for the events I wanted to attend). Arrgghhh!!! I so wanted to go. A part of me is screaming and kicking like a child; but the wise part of me hushed the child down :oD While the experience and fun of meeting all those celebrity chefs whom I admire is arguably worth it, but fact remains - my going isn't a real need. It is just a want; something that I can do away with, or at least, put off for now. If there's any time to spend wisely, it is now. Besides, there's always next year, right?

This festival is definitely an item in my bucket list, so I have to go even for just once. I do hope things will work out for me next time. Till then, I am keeping my fingers crossed, and praying that the economy will take a better turn in the next months to come.

I don't know about you but good food always lifts me up. And since I needed cheering up, I thought that this dish, Involtini Of Beef (or beef roll-ups), would do the trick. It is pleasing to the eye and tastes fantastic! What's more, it is not at all complicated to do. I actually find this quicker to do than, say, lasagna.

If you've been visiting this blog often, you'd notice that my recipes are simple and easy to do. So this dish is right up my alley. Much as I'd like to cook, but I don't want to be spending too much time in the kitchen and not have enough time left to spend with my loved ones. The latter is important too, you know.

I made this for Mr. J for his birthday and he totally liked it. This dish may be simple, but it obviously requires some effort (and love) and the end product is special -- very elegant.

So go ahead and try this dish. As Ingrid Hoffman says, "If I can do it, you can do it!".

I am sharing this dish to Lasang Pinoy Sundays (La.Pi.S): EATS A WRAP!. Lasang Pinoy is a weekly food photography meme, hosted by SpiCes.




Involtini Of Beef
(Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cups carrots, julienned (cut into thin strips)
1/2 cup red or yellow bell pepper (cut into thin strips)
1/2 cup zucchini (cut into thin strips)
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 (3 to 4-ounces each) beef scaloppini (from London Broil or Top Sirloin)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
1/2 cup dry white wine*
1 bay leaf
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup frozen peas
1-ounce thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped

Directions
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the veggies, onion, and garlic and saute until the veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
4. Stir in the Parmesan.
5. Season beef with salt and pepper.
6. Using 2 tablespoons for each, divide the veggie mixture among the beef slices. 6. Roll up the beef slices to enclose the filling, tucking in the ends. Secure the rolls with toothpicks.
7. Heat the remaining oil and the remaining tablespoon of butter in the same large frying pan over medium-high heat.
8. Dredge the beef rolls in flour to coat lightly.
9. Add the beef rolls and cook until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes.
10. Add the wine and stir to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet.
11. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the bay leaf. Cover and simmer until the beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the beef rolls to a platter.
12. Remove the toothpicks, then cover the beef rolls with foil to keep warm.
13. Add the peas and prosciutto to the sauce in the skillet and stir until the peas are heated through and the sauce reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.
14. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.
15. Drizzle the sauce over the beef rolls and serve.

NOTE*: You may substitute wine with chicken broth, if preferred. As for the veggies, I didn't have zucchini on hand, so I just used carrots and green bell pepper and adjusted the amount accordingly .

Triple Chocolate Mousse

"Chocolate cures everything".

Not an entirely accurate statement, but it holds a tiny grain of truth. Chocolate may not solve any of our problems, but it does make us feel better. Why? Because chocolate has substances called phenylethylamine and seratonin. These are mood lifting agents found in our brain. Once chocolate is eaten, these substances are released to the nervous system by our brain enducing a rapid mood change: a feeling of well-being, increase of heart rate and rise in blood pressure. Simply put, chocolate is an "upper" - it physically invigorates us and lessens our inhibitions.

No wonder why the Aztecs of Mexico thought for chocolate to have aphrodisiac qualities. This may also explain the reason why chocolate has become the food for romance and love --the feeling that it evokes within us mimics that of being in love.

For this Valentine's Day, I prepared a special treat for my husband. Guess what?? It's chocolate, of course! (no-brainer there, huh?)

I made a Triple Chocolate Mousse... 3x the aphrodisiac power, what do you say? *wink*

Mr. J unfortunately had to work on Valentines Day, so this meant that we were not going out for dinner. Not that we wanted to anyway. We're both low-key people, and the crowd just serves to take away the appeal for us to dine out on Valentine's Day.

So since he was at work the whole day, I had all the time to prepare our special Valentine's Day dinner. I kept our main course simple, with roasted pork tenderloin with veggies (which I will post later), but for dessert I took the extra effort.

I got the recipe for the Triple Chocolate Mousse from my friend, Kristel's bridal shower. For party favors, she gave away petite sizes of it along with the recipe (which I thought was neat). The mousse was to die for! That's why I promised to try to make it myself. And what better time to do it than on the day of romance???

This dessert is silky and rich, and one of the easiest mousse techniques to do. But, it does need time, at least an hour interval, for each layer to set.

But you know what, Mr. J is worth all my time and effort! Corny as it may sound, but everyday with him is Valentine's. I love him and I am so blessed to have him to share life, and chocolate mousse, with. :oD

Sending this treat out, first to Kristel - thanks for the recipe!... and to Lasang Pinoy Sundays (La.Pi.S): I LOVE FOOD. Lasang Pinoy is a weekly food photography meme, hosted by SpiCes.

Triple Chocolate Mousse
(Recipe is for a large group. You may cut the recipe in half for a smaller group, like I did)

Bittersweet chocolate mousse
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used 70% dark chocolate)
1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder
1/2 cup milk
1-1/4 cup whipping cream

White chocolate mousse
12 oz white chocolate, chopped
1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder
1/2 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream

Milk chocolate mousse
10 oz milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder
1 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream

To assemble:

1. For bittersweet mousse, melt chocolate in a bowl resting over a pot of gently simmering water (or use a double boiler)m stirring constantly. Add gelatin powder into milk and let sit for a minute. Heat milk (microwave is easiest) to just below a simmer and whisk into chocolate. Let chocolate mixture cool to room temperature. In the meantime, whip cream to soft peak and fold into cooled chocolate. Pour mousse into plastic wrapped-lined- 9-in square pan, spreading well into corners. Chill for at least an hour to set.

2. For white chocolate mousse - follow the same direction above, then spoon or pour gently over bittersweet mousse layer and chill for at least an hour to set.

3. For milk chocolate mousse - repeat the same process. Pour mousse gently over white chocolate layer.

4. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

5. To serve, invert pan onto a plate and peel of plastic. With a hot, dry knife, slice squares of mousse and lift onto plates with pie lifter.

6. Garnish with fresh berries, or chocolate shavings.

*NOTE: As you can see in the photos, I built my mousse in martini glasses, which I thought would make a nice presentation and would save me step #5 above. Half the recipe fills about 6-8 martini glasses, depending on the size.

Shepherd's Pie

This past week a couple of coldfronts hit South Florida. The temperature actually dipped to somewhere in the upper 30's Fahrenheit (about 3 degrees Celsius). Bbbrrrrrrr! It was C-O-L-D!

Those who are from northern USA, north America or Europe might find this laughable. Compared to the inches of snow and below zero temperature you get out there, 30's must be a heatwave for you. But for the true blue South Floridians (I'm not a native here but I grew up in a tropical island), 30's is definitely freezing! As they say, our blood is thinner.

I don't mind it being nippy once in while though. I welcome the change, especially the opportunity to take out my once-a-year winter-garb and layer on outfits, don chic coats or leather jackets, cute scarves, opaque stockings and wear those lovely high heeled boots!!! Afterall, it's always about fashion,isn't it? Next to food, that is. ;o)



When the temperature gets cooler, I always think of comforting food such as soups and stews. But this time around, I wanted something different, so I thought of one of my fave eats: Shepherd's Pie. Also known as "Cottage Pie", this English dish refers to a meat pie with a crust made of mashed potato.

Shepherd's pie is basically a casserole, traditionally made using ground lamb (hence, the name Shepherd, I think). But here in the US people commonly use beef instead of lamb. In my case, I went even further. I used ground turkey for my meat, to make the dish a bit more healthy. What I like about this dish (beside it being soooo good) is it's versatility. You can substitute the ingredients according to preference or availability. What more, this dish is even better the next day! If you'll have some leftovers, that is.

Mashed potato atop stewed ground meat and veggies? That's comfort food through and through!

I'm sending this dish over to La.Pi.S, Lasang Pinoy Sundays: LAYERED. La.Pi.S. is a weekly food photography meme hosted by SpiceS.



Shepherd's Pie

Meat filling:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
1 lb ground lamb, beef or turkey
1 tbsp flour
1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz), drained, juice reserved
1/2 cup beef or chicken stock/broth
2 tsps Worcesteshire sauce
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
2 med carrots, diced finely
1 red bell pepper, diced finely
1 sprig rosemary, chopped

Topping:
4 large potatoes (about 1-1/2 lbs), peeled and chopped
2 tbsp sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream (or subsitute chicken/beef broth for healthier version)
1 egg yolk
2 tbsps fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Dash of sweet paprika

1. Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl.
2. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream (or broth). Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.
3. While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat.
4. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper.
5. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb/beef and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings.
6. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes.
7. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and juice of tomato and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.
8. Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture.
9. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned.
10. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.