Quarantine Kitchen

Tap tap tap… is this thing on?

Good morning, and thanks for joining me today. If you are new here, and found me from A.S. Fenichel‘s blog, welcome!

I have to admit, this Social Distancing we’re all practicing is having a deleterious effect on my writing. Not only do I have to contend with the stress of being an essential worker, but since I am the only one in the house without pre-existing conditions, it is up to me to head out into public spaces and gather supplies. 

Some days I feel like I’m preparing up for battle.

Gloves? ✔
Masks? ✔
Same shoes and clothes I’ve worn out in public the last 5 weeks? ✔

I gear up, run my errands, come home and toss everything in the wash.

In times of stress, I always fall back on the one thing that brings me comfort: cooking.  Cooking has given me a way to relieve stress while still being creative and productive.

And really, there’s nothing quite so soothing as taking a sharp knife to things. 

Now, I like to cook. I love food and cooking. I’ve been messing around in the kitchen since I was about 6 years old. First by helping Dad make his special beer bread, or my Abuelita make picadillo or guava stuffed pastellitos for Christmas. As soon as I was tall enough to safely manage it, I was mixing things up on the stove. It’s part of the reason I was so eager to accept Brenda Magriet‘s challenge. 

Being a home body who likes to cook, I have no problem with the Stay At Home orders my state has put forth. But I know other’s who are not so fond of the kitchen. To those of you who fall into this camp, I’m sorry. This is a tough time for you, and if I can make it a little easier for you, I will. 

If you’re friends with me on facebook, you’ve probably noticed most of my posts have been about food. In fact, I have an entire photo album on facebook dedicated to food. I call it Quarantine Kitchen. It is all about using pantry staples and common foods to create some really tasty meals. Whatever I make and post will always include a recipe, either one I’ve created or a link to the one I’ve used, as well as notes on what I did different or substitutions I’ve made. The great thing about cooking is that you can be as creative or conservative as you want and still get something good. 

Of all the recipes on QK, my favorite recpe so far has been my Shepherd’s Pie.

Oh, I know there are about a million recipes out there, but using only what I had in the pantry and refrigerator, I came up with my own. It’s super tasty and not too complicated to make. And if you do the potatoes at the same time the meat is cooking, you can get the entire meal on the table in about 40 minutes.

Quarantine Kitchen Shepherd’s Pie

For the meat:

• 2T olive oil
• 1 leek, white and light green parts only, sliced into thin ribbons
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 10oz mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 2 lbs grass fed ground beef
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup half and half
• 1-2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons Penzey’s bouquet garni
• 2 tablespoons Penzey’s English prime rib rub
• salt and pepper to taste

1.  Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat
2. Add the garlic, leek, and celery with a heavy pinch of salt. Stir making sure the garlic and leek don’t brown.
3. Add the carrots and mushroom with another pinch of salt, and a grind or two of black pepper.
4. In a measuring cup, combine the chicken broth, half and half, and tomato paste into the paste dissolves. The mixture will be pink. Add the bouquet garni and let bloom in the liquid until ready to use.
5. When the mushrooms have reduced by 1/3, add the ground beef, breaking it up into smaller pieces. Season with salt, pepper, and the prime rib seasoning.
6. When the beef has browned, add the frozen peas and broth mixture. Mix to combine.
7. Form a well in the middle of the beef and sprinkle in the flour, 1 tsp at a time, whisking with a fork until combined.
8. Mix into the meat, and cook for an additional 7-10 minutes until a gravy forms.

9. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

For the potatoes:

• 2-3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into rough chunks, approximately 1.5” pieces

• 1 cup water

• 8oz butter

• 1qt half and half

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Add 1 cup of water in liner of instant pot or pressure cooker of choice. Place steamer basket over the water.

2. Add potatoes to the basket, season heavily with salt. 

3. Seal the pot, and cook on high pressure for 9 minutes. Quick release the steam.

4. Remove steamer basket & potatoes from pot, and toss out the water. Return the liner to the cooker and set it on sauté.

5. Add the half and half and butter and heat until the butter is melted. Add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.

6. Mash the potatoes, adding half and half, butter, and salt/pepper until they reach the appropriate consistently and flavor.

For the pie:

Option 1: In a large baking dish, layer ⅔ with meat, ⅓ with potatoes. Top with shredded cheese and bake at 350° until the cheese is golden brown and melty. 

Option 2: In an individual size oven safe dish, layer ⅔ meat, ⅓ potato, and top with cheese. Microwave at 50% power for 6 minutes, or until heated through. 

Notes: 

• Any ground meat will work. I had beef, but turkey is a good choice, as are non-meat substitutes.

• Any aromatic allium will work. I happened to have some leeks on hand, but onion or shallot would work.

• I’m a big fan of Penzey’s Spices. Their blends are fresh and delicious, much better than anything you’ll find in a grocery store. Both bouquet garni and English prime rib rub are some of my most used seasonings.  

• Bouquet garni is a blend of dried herbs (savory, rosemary, thyme, Turkish oregano, basil, dill weed, marjoram, sage and tarragon). I recommend giving it a spin in a mini food processor to break up the tougher pieces like rosemary leaves. They’re a little…pokey when you bite into them.

• If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can boil the potatoes in water like usual, they just take about 3 times as long. Alternately, you can make the potatoes ahead of time and build the pie later. Since it has to heat in the oven or microwave, they’ll be warmed through. 

For more recipe fun, head on over to Elizabeth Schecter‘s blog and see what’s cooking in her kitchen. 😉 And ig you’re looking for something to read during your Stay At Home days, Elizabeth’s newest book is available for preorder! Bones of Earth, book three in the Geri to the Firstborn series can be found here.