Recipes by their Ingredients

ground black pepper

  • Ceasar Salad

    Ceasar Salad

    Ceasar Salad (Serves 4)


    5 anchovy fillets, about 1½ tblsp
    2 garlic cloves
    2 tsp Dijon mustard
    2 lg egg yolks
    1 tsp worchestershire sauce
    2 tblsp fresh lemon juice
    ¼ tsp salt
    ¼ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
    ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
    ½ cup olive oil
    ½ head romaine lettuce, chopped
    ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
    2-4 tblsp croutons


    NOTES:In my mind there are certain things that turn a good ceasar into a great ceasar, one is to use good parmesan cheese and grate it yourself using either a micro planer or the smaller grating grid on the cheese grater (that would be the one that looks like small round circles). This way the cheese blends into the sauce and is not seperate! The second is make your own croutons! I can not stress this one enough. All store bought croutons will super hard and taste like bread. Here is the crouton recipe I used in the restaurants I worked in: croutons.
     

    In a blender, add the garlic, anchovies, mustard, egg yolks, worchestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and parmesan cheese, blend until smooth.

    Now, while the blender is on high, drizzle in the olive oil, slowly at first until the oil is incorperated.

    Wash the romain lettuce well and dry it well, this is key so the dressing adhere's to the lettuce and doesn't just run off it! Add in enough dressing to coat the leaves lightly. Sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan cheese and finish of by tossing the croutons in. Serve right away. Dressing is good kept in the refrigerator until ready to use. It should be used the same day you make it, due to the raw yolks.

  • Chicken Legs, Roasted

    Chicken Legs, Roasted
    Chicken Legs, Roasted
    (Serves 2)


    6 Chicken Legs
    ½ tsp salt
    ½ tsp ground black pepper
    ½ tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder
    ¼ tsp thyme
    ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper


    NOTES:You can baste the chicken legs in your favorite marinade or brine before using this method. I make a Tandoori spice blend which you could substitute for the spices here and still follow the instructions. You can't go wrong!

    Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

    Coat the chicken legs evenly with all the spices.

    Line a sheet pan with tinfoil and lightly oil an area for the legs to sit on, place the chicken legs on the tinfoil in the pan and place in lower center of the oven for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes flip the chicken over and bake for another 12-15 minutes, depending how large the legs are. If you like then a bit more color in them place under tour broiler for a minute or 2, keeping an eye on them so they don't burn. Serve with your favorite sides like mashed potatoes and gravy or some rob-a-roni!

  • Chicken Pot Pie

    Chicken Pot Pie
    Chicken Pot Pie
    (Serves )


    The Pastry
    10 cups all purpose flour
    2½ tsp salt
    10 tblsp Italian Parsley, optional
    5 tsp chopped fresh herbs, a mix of thyme, savory and basil, optional
    2½ cups unsalted butter, chilled, in small cubes
    18-20 tblsp ice water


    The Filling
    3 cups cooked chicken (1 lb), cubed
    3 cups carrots, cubed, par cooked
    3 cups peas
    3 cups potatoes, cubed, par cooked


    The Stock
    11 cups chicken stock, or 11 cups water and 3 tblsp Better Than Bouillon Chicken Bouillon
    1 tsp fine ground black pepper
    1 tsp salt
    ¾ cup corn starch slurry


    NOTES:I like to separate the pot pie process into three stages: The pastry, filling and stock. Each stage can be completed separately, which lets you concentrate on making it as tasty as it can be for your tastes! Do not use bouillon cubes, especially Knorr!
    Take a look at the ingredient list between Knorr and Better Than Bouillon brands, notice where the chicken flavor comes from and how far back in the ingredients list!:


    Knorr Chicken Bouillon cubes:SALT, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, PALM OIL, CORN STARCH, HYDROGENATED PALM OIL, SUGAR, XANTHAN GUM, CHICKEN FAT, NATURAL FLAVOR, WATER, TURMERIC (FOR COLOR), DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, MALTODEXTRIN, DEHYDRATED PARSLEY, SPICES, CARAMEL COLOR, TBHQ.

    Better Than Bouillon Chicken Bouillon : ROASTED CHICKEN, SALT, SUGAR, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, DRIED WHEY (MILK), FLAVORING, FOOD STARCH, DISODIUM INOSINATE AND DISODIUM GUANYLATE, TURMERIC.
     

    The Pastry: Mise en place (is a French culinary phrase which means "putting in place" or "gather". It refers to the setup required before cooking): Make sure your butter is all cubed up and it's sitting in the fridge, herbs are already chopped, if you're using them and you have a cup or bowl of ice water on hand. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt and herbs together with a whisk, if you are using the herbs.
    Add the butter cubes to the mixture and mix quickly with your fingers, remember the heat of your fingers and hand will warm the butter up very fast, which is why you want to mix quickly until the mixture resembles sand and small pebbles, only tiny beads should remain.
    Add the ice water, up to 14 tblsp at first then add, one at a time a tblsp of the ice water until the dough holds together when you squeeze by your hand. You may not need all the ice water.
    Create a rounded oval shape which is not too thick, cover in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until needed. I don't like making the dough a ball as when it comes straight out of the fridge will take longer to get it flat with a rolling pin. You want the dough to be very cold when rolling but it will also crack on the edges more so when cold which is why I recommend a much flatter pile of dough. Your finished product should be that you can see small tiny patches of butter interwoven in your pie dough top and bottom.

    The Filling: Using either boneless skinless thighs or chicken breasts, sprinkle salt, pepper and granulated garlic on both sides and grill (ideally) or use a heavy bottoms pan and heat up some vegetable oil and pan fry each side until done, really thick breasts can be butterflied open for more even and quicker cooking. Cube up the chicken and set aside. Keep the cubes the same size as the vegetable cubes.
    Cut the carrots into cubed pieces and boil in water for 2-3 minutes, until the are cooked through but not too soft, set aside.
    Blanch the peas in hot water just until any frozenness disappear, drain and set aside.
    You can skin the potatoes or don't for a more rustic look. Cube up the potatoes and cook in boiling water until cooked 3/4 of the way, about 4 minutes depending on how large you made the cubes, drain and set aside.

    The Stock: Using home made stock is best (See my Chicken Stock recipe). Next best thing is making your stock with Better Than Bouillon Chicken Bouillon or the Roasted Chicken Bouillon (I think they also make a low sodium chicken bouillon). If your using the Bouillon method, it's easiest to mix all three tblsp with as little warm or hot water as you can and once you integrate the Bouillon making sure it's dissolved, add more water until you get to 11 cups. Once you have the mixture, chicken stock, you can add a tsp of salt and 1 tsp of fine ground black pepper. If your not using the herbs in the dough, you should add a tsp thyme to the stock now. Bring to a simmer over medium/low heat, stir, once hot taste for slat and pepper content and adjust accordingly. Get your corn starch slurry together by measuring our ¾ cup of corn starch and adding just enough cold water until it can be stirred, mix well, once the stock is simmering and your happy that it tastes chickeny and is seasoned well, add some hot stock into your "slurry" until you can pour easily pour the mixed slurry back into the stock, but first turn down the heat to stop the simmering and stirring simultaneously as the stock meets with the slurry and will react by thickening your chicken stock, once you've added three quarters of your slurry, turn the heat back to a simmer, this is when the magic happens, stir the chicken stock it should be getting thicker, now adjust the stock with more slurry until you have a very thick base for your chicken pot pie.
    Stir in all the vegetables and the chicken, taste! Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Let cool, as it cools it will thicken even more. You can stop at this point and make the pot pies the next day if you wish.

    Putting it all together: Pre-heat the oven to 400° F. Take the dough from the refrigerator and using a rolling pin roll out the dough between ⅛ to ¼
    If you like a bottom crust: form a sheet onto a pie plate or baking dish pushing the sheet to conform to the inner curves of the pie plate or baking dish and trim off the excess dough that overhangs the edges using a butter knife. Add the pot pie filling into the pastry lined baking apparatus very close to the top leaving a ¼ of space. Add a top pastry sheet over your fillings and using a knife slice an X into the center of the pie to allow steam to escape. If your making a huge 13x8 baking dish you can cut three X's into the top to help the steam escape. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the pie on it, place in the center of the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the insides are bubbling hot and the crust id golden. You may need to check at 15 minutes to make sure the edges are not browning too much, if they are take a couple of strips of foil and wrap around the crusts edges.
    If you like a only a top crust: fill the baking dish with pot pie filling and leave a ¼ inch gap to the top. Add a sheet of pastry dough over the top and using a butter knife trim the edges off, place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 30-30 minutes. Be aware that the edges can burn, check at 15 minutes and use some foil strips to cover the edges if it happens.

    You can also par bake a top crust by measuring how large the top needs to be to fit on your baking pan, bowl or whatever you are using. Cut it to size and place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until tan in color, not golden. Then use these pre cooked tops to put over your bowl of hot pot pie filling you heated on the stove top and then only bake for 5 minutes until the pie top heats up and gets a more golden color, 10 minutes tops. Remember if you forget to cut an X into the pre-baked tops, if the filling bubbles over it will all be over the sides of the crust!

  • Competition Chicken Thighs

    Competition Chicken Thighs

    Competition Chicken Thighs (Serves the Judges)


    16-20 All Natural, bone-in, with skin chicken thighs
    2 quarts chicken broth (8 cups)
    2 large zip lock bags (that will hold 6-10 thighs each

    Spice Rub
    4 tblsp brown sugar
    4 tblsp paprika
    1 tblsp salt
    1 tblsp garlic powder
    1 tblsp black pepper
    1 tblsp onion powder
    1 tblsp chili powder

    Optional spices:
    celery, lemon pepper, cumin, thyme, dry mustard, cloves, cayenne pepper, sage and ginger

    Irish salted butter
    I can't believe it's not butter spray
    Apple juice, for spritzing

    BBQ sauce
    4 cups your favorite bbq sauce
    ¼ cup apple juice, for thinning the bbq sauce
    2-3 tsp real maple syrup
    Irish unsalted butter


    NOTES: There are so many different types of chili powder, that picking the right one or blending the right ones could be the difference between 1st place and no place! Don't be afraid to experiment! The optional spices have all been used in various rub recipes, try adding one or a few to the spice mix, start with a tsp and go from there!
     

    Loosen the skin of chicken on the open sides, you'll notice it adheres strongly to one side in particular, let that side stay attached.
    Square the chicken thigh with a boning knife, by laying it on its skin side down, the skin should now be pushed to side where it does not get trimmed away (make sure that the one side the skin is attached, stays attached!).
    Now trim the knuckle off the bone, there will be a groove where your heavier chef knife will do the trick just inside the knuckle bone, press hard with the back end of the chefs knife, give it hard short hit to the knife end with your palm to get the knife through. Trim any pieces of cartilage you may have missed and in general any veins, tendons or any thick pieces of fat that will not render.
    Trim the edge of the other side of the knuckle you removed, just square it off.

    Wrap the skin around the whole thigh, tuck in ends, smooth the top and tuck tuck tuck. Place 8-10 thighs in each large zip lock bag and add 4 cups of the chicken stock to each bag.
    Place the marinated thighs in the refrigerator for 5 hours.

    Remove the thighs from the brine and place skin side down on a wire rack with a sheet pan underneath it.
    Mix all the dry rub spices together. Sprinkle the dry rub spices evenly over the bottom of the chicken. Don't be shy because a lot of flavor needs to come from that single bite that judges will take!

    Now it's time for the spice rub.

    300°F. to 310°F.

    Put the chick thighs skin side up, making sure they are wrapped snugly in their skin in an aluminum baking pan, 8 to a pan, use a whole stick of butter, cut into pieces, tucked into the sides of the chicken and pan and between the 2 rows of chicken, you don't want to put the butter on top of the chickens skin to keep the spices adhered.
    Now a quick thin spritz of I can't believe it's not butter spray over the top of the chicken will help to break down any fat in the skin.

    Place in an offset heat source BBQ for 1 hour.

    If the color is looking good then put a temperature probe into one of the thickest thighs and wrap the top with tinfoil so you don't burn the chickens skin. You are looking for 196-197°F.
    Once the temp is hit, you want to have a quick dunk in your BBQ sauce, let the thighs sit back on a wire rack so the excess sauce drips off and add it back to the smoker for 10 minutes to set the sauce.

    The final step is to give the thighs a quick spritz (through a spray bottle) of apple juice to create a shiny sheen on top.
    Use any chicken that is too small looking or the skin shrunk back too much as your taste tester, check for salt content and bam! time for the judges to judge!

  • Croutons

    Croutons
    Croutons
    (Serves 12)

    1 baguette, day old bread, (about 2 cups), cut off the crusts
    ½ tsp granulated garlic (or you can use 1 clove of fresh garlic, minced)
    ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
    ½ tsp onion powder
    2 tsp fresh herbs, minced, like thyme, parsley and rosemary
    2 tblsp melted unsalted butter or olive oil
    1 tblsp parmesan cheese, grated

    NOTES: You can use fresh bread, or even sandwich bread or sour dough. I pop these in my mouth as a snack, they're that good! The parmesan cheese should be grated fresh with a micro planer or the smallest grid on your grating device!
     

    Pre-heat oven to 325°F. On a sheet tray

    Cut your crustless bread into cubes about ¾ inch in size. Set aside.

    Add the olive oil or melted butter to a large bowl, then add the spices, herbs and cheese, mix well, dump in all the bread cubes quickly and mix quickly so the oil/butter does not only get into the the first bread cubes that landed on it! Mix, mix, mix!

    On a sheet tray, spread out the saturated bread cubes and place in the oven. check every 5 minutes and flip over the cubes with a spatula. When they are golden turn off the oven and remove to cool in a bowl, about 15-20 minutes. Store in an airtight container on your counter, for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for a month.

  • Gingerbread Cookies

    Gingerbread Cookies
    Gingerbread Cookies
    (Makes @3 dozen 3 inch cookies)


    3 cups flour
    1 tsp baking soda
    ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
    ¾ tsp ground ginger
    ½ tsp ground allspice
    ½ tsp ground cloves
    ½ tsp Salt
    ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
    8 tblsp unsalted butter, room temperature
    ¼ cup Vegetable Shortening, room temperature
    ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
    ⅔ cup unsulfured molasses
    1 large egg


    NOTES:For softer cookies, roll out slightly thicker.

    Arrange oven racks to the top ⅓ and bottom ⅓ of the oven, then preheat the oven to 350° F.

    Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper through a wire sieve into a medium bowl. Set aside.

    In a large bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer at high speed, beat the butter and vegetable shortening until well-combined, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and beat until the mixture is light in texture and color, about 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses and egg. Using a wooden spoon, gradually mix in the flour mixture to make a stiff dough. Divide the dough into two thick disks and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours. (The dough can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.)

    To roll out the cookies, work with one disk at a time, keeping the other disk refrigerated. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature until just warm enough to roll out without cracking, about 10 minutes. (If the dough has been chilled for longer than 3 hours, it may need a few more minutes.) Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Roll out the dough ⅛ inch thick, being sure that the dough isn't sticking to the work surface (run a long meal spatula or knife under the dough occasionally just to be sure, and dust the surface with more flour, if needed). Using cookie cutters, cut out the cookies and transfer to nonstick cookie sheets, placing the cookies 1 inch apart. Gently knead the scraps together and form into another disk. Wrap and chill for 5 minutes before rolling out again to cut out more cookies.

    Bake, switching the positions of the cookies from top to bottom and back to front halfway through baking, until the edges of the cookies are set and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire cake racks to cool completely. Decorate with Royal Icing. (The cookies can be prepared up to 1 week ahead, stored in airtight containers at room temperature.)

  • Meatballs, Roberts

    Meatballs, Roberts
    Meatballs, Roberts
    (Serves)


    2 lbs ground beef
    1 lb ground veal
    1 lb ground pork
    2 eggs, beaten
    ½ Italian parsley, chopped fine
    6 fresh basil leaves, minced
    1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
    1 tblsp black pepper, ground
    1½ tbslp salt
    6 cloves garlic, minced
    1½ cups day old Italian bread


    NOTES:
     

    Pre-heat oven to 350°

    Mix thoroughly all the ingredients.

    Roll small size meatballs, 1½ inches in diameter, careful not to pack them too tight.

    While it does take time to roll 100 meatballs, you will now have quality meatballs for months! Put on some nice meatball rolling music!
    On a large baking sheet place the meatballs close, but not touching, you could probably fit close to 100 on a normal baking sheet.

    Bake for 15 minutes.

    If you are going to add the meatballs to a pot of red sauce you can remove the meatballs from the oven 5 minutes earlier as they will finish cooking in the sauce.

    Serve with pasta with parmesan cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese) or on a roll with mozzerella cheese, or simply grab one with your fork and walk around eating it. Yum!

  • Polpette di Melanzane (Eggplant Meatballs)

    Polpette di Melanzane Eggplant Meatballs
    Polpette di Melanzane
    (Makes 12-15)


    Salt
    26 oz (750g) eggplant, cut into ½ inch cubes
    ⅓ cup grated pecorino cheese
    ⅓ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
    2 large eggs
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1 tblsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
    Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
    About ¾ cup bread crumbs, plus extra for breading
    Vegetable oil for frying


    NOTES: I used 2 of the large long chinese eggplants, they weighed exactly 26oz!, blasphemy I know! The smaller eggplants have more flavor. I did have good experience freezing them with no sauce. I used a seal-a-meal and stopped the air from sucking out once the initial air was out this way it did not mush the polpette. They were in the freezer only a few weeks but I am sure they will last a few months frozen. They can also be reheated in the sauce. Original recipe came from Pasta Grammar, they have lots of authentic Italian food on YouTube and their website.

    Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously. Add the cubed eggplant and boil for about 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is very tender. Drain and let cool to the touch.

    Squeeze the excess water out of the eggplant and place it in a large mixing bowl. Add the cheeses, eggs, garlic, parsley, plenty of black pepper, and a big pinch of salt. Add about half of the bread crumbs and begin mixing the ingredients by hand.

    Continue to add more bread crumbs until the mixture is soft and moldable, but not too wet or sticky. The amount of breadcrumbs needed will vary, so trust your judgment.

    Fill a deep pan with about 1 inch of vegetable oil and heat over med/high heat. Meanwhile, form the meatball mix into about 15 polpette. Form them into balls about 1½ to 2 inches in diameter. Dust the polpette in bread crumbs.

    Once the oil is at 350°F., working in batches, carefully drop the eggplant polpette into the pan, like anything deep fried, don't overcrowd the pan, I fried 4-6 at a time. Turn them frequently and fry until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes in total. Remove to a paper towel to drain.

    Serve the polpette warm and fresh. Buon appetito!

  • Quiche, Ham and Leek

    Quiche, Ham and Leek
    Quiche, Ham and Leek
    (Serves 6-8)


    7 oz ham, sliced thin like batons or small chunks
    1 large leek, thinly sliced
    1 shallot, minced
    4 eggs, beaten
    2 oz heavy cream
    3½ Gruyère cheese, shredded
    2 tblsp fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, rosemary, minced
    pie crust for bottom crust only
    Salt and Pepper to taste


    NOTES:
     

    Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. and in 9" round glass pie plate, add the bottom crust, thinly rolled out and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Set aside.

    I like to add, and arrange my dry ingredients first, then I mix the beaten eggs with the heavy cream and pour over the dry ingredients.
    Bake for 15-20 minutes. A wooden tooth pick inserted in the center should come out clean.

  • Ras El Hanout

    Ras El Hanout, Spice Blend
    Ras El Hanout (Spice Blend)
    (Makes @2 tblsp)


    1 tsp ground ginger
    1 tsp ground cumin
    1 tsp salt
    3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
    1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
    1/2 tsp ground coriander
    1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
    1/2 tsp ground allspice
    1/4 tsp ground cloves


    NOTES: Ras El Hanout means 'head of the shop' traditionally, the best spices the merchant has to offer, although the ingredients and amounts differs per region as they all have their own blend. It is prominent in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and other North African Regions.
     

    Mix all ingredients together.
    This is a great blend for lamb dishes, vegetables or used in region specific dishes like Bastilla/Pastilla/B'stilla and Tagines.

  • Shepherd's Pie

    Shepherds Pie
    Shepherd's Pie
    (Serves 4-6)


    1 lb of lamb, cubed
    1 tblsp vegetable oil
    1 large carrot, cut into small cubes
    1/3 cup peas
    1+¾ cups lamb stock
    1 tsp Tony Chachere's Creole Spice
    ½ tsp garlic powder
    1/2 tsp ground black pepper
    1 tblsp plus a 1 tsp cornstarch
    3 large russet potatoes, skinned and cubed
    4 tblsp unsalted butter
    2-3 tsp salt
    ¾ tsp ground black pepper
    1/3 cup cream, half n' half or milk
    1 tsp unsalted butter


    NOTES:I substituted the lamb stock for half chicken and half beef stock using Better Than Bouillon brand. If you don't have Tony's Creole Spice you can substitute with equal portions of cayenne pepper, garlic powder, black pepper and a pinch of salt. You can substitute ground beef for lamb in this recipe, you won't need to simmer the ground beef for but 3-5 minutes after you sear it, and you should then call the dish a Cottage Pie and not a Shepherd's Pie. If you want to feed more with this recipe you could double the potatoes to 6 and bake in a 9 x 12 inch pan.!

    Boil the carrot cubes until just about tender as they'll finish cooking in the completed pie. Drain and set aside.

    In hot very hot skillet, add 1 tblsp high heat oil like vegetable, canola or peanut oil. Add half the lamb and sear on 2 sides then remove to a small bowl. Repeat the other half of lamb cubes.

    Once the lamb is seared and set aside, as well as your carrots and peas, get a large sauce pot filled with water on the stove on high heat, add in the potato cubes and bring to a boil, in about 10 minutes the potatoes will be fork tender, check at the 8, 10, 12 minute mark so you don't end up with potato mush! Once they are fork tender, drain off the water completely and then put the potatoes back into the pot, add the 4 tblsp unsalted butter, ¾ of the cream or milk, the ½ tsp ground black pepper and 2 tsp of salt to start with. Mash the potatoes with butter and stuff, until they seem fairly smooth and smashed, remove the smasher and use a large spoon to stir it all togather adding more cream or milk if they are too stiff. Taste for salt content and add more if needed. Set potatoes aside.

    Pre-heat your oven to 400°F.

    In the same pan as you seared the lamb, heat up the lamb stock or whatever stock you are using. Add the 1 tsp of Tony's Chachere's Creole spice, garlic powder and 1/2 tsp black pepper and bring to a simmer. Now add the lamb cubes and juice from the lamb. Bring the stock back up to a fast simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the lamb is as tender as you like, in the last 5 minutes add the carrots and peas to the lamb and stock.

    Now in a small bowl or cup mix the cornstarch with about 6-8 tsps of the hot stock only (no peas or lamb!). Once your cornstarch slurry is mixed well, turn the heat down to low and mix in ¾ of the slurry quickly into the lab, peas and stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Keep stirring at this point, after 20-30 seconds the cornstarch slurry should have thickened up the stock, if you think it needs to thicken more add the rest of the slurry in, stirring quickly as you add it. You should now have a great gravy based lamb and vegetables for the bottom portion of your shepherd's pie.

    Let's put it all together, in a 9 x 9" pan, add the lamb/gravy/vegi mix first. Making sure its evenly distributed, now add the mashed potatoes a small scoop at a time, first at the corners, then the center, then fill in the bare spots, grap a spatula and lightly smooth the potatoes over the entire top so you can't see any gravy/lamb mix. I then dragged a fork lightly over the top to give the top of the potatoes a chance to crisp up even more in the oven. Lastly add the tsp of butter to the center of the pie and place in your pre-heated oven at 400°F. for 20-25 minutes. I then moved it to my broiler for about 1-2 minutes to get that golden brown rows from raking the top with the fork! Remember, if you are bringing it out of the fridge, let it sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes before putting in the oven.

  • Zucchini Fritters

    Zucchini Fritters
    Zucchini Fritters
    (Makes 15 or so)


    2 medium zucchinis, grated
    2 eggs
    1 onion, grated
    ¾ cup almond flour
    1 tsp garlic
    1 tsp black pepper
    1 tsp basil
    pinch of salt


    NOTES:
     

    Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
    After grating the zucchini, squeeze out the excess water, combine all ingredients.
    On a lightly greased sheet pan add 1 tblsp of the mixture with some space inbetween each tblsp of mixture.
    Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops and sides have started to brown.