Spicy Shepherd's Pie

Preparing the pie: made with ground lamb, diced onion, diced carrot, four red and green chillies, a clove of garlic, green pepper, diced baby plum tomatoes, chopped parsnip and chopped carrot, mashed potato and lamb stock. 

The mashed potato was mixed with a small knob of butter, and about 50g of Camembert cheese (cheddar cheese can be used instead, or you can skip the cheese component altogether). Seasoned with the herbs rosemary and thyme. 

Add the chopped parsnip and carrot to the bottom of the pie dish. Cover with the layer of spicy lamb. Add the potato on top, and texture with a fork. 

The pie was baked in the oven at a low heat (about 150 deg C for an hour and a half (watch carefully).. 

Served in this case with baked beans, with pepper and some dried basil.

Preparing the ground lamb: browned in a saute pan in its own fat at a high heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. The onion, chilli, green pepper and diced  baby plum tomatoes were added. The heat was turned down to medium, and the mix stir-fried for fifteen minutes.

After that, boiling water was added to the saute pan. The pot was covered, and allowed to simmer for at least an hour and a half at a low heat, to ensure the lamb was tender.

Add a little turmeric and some oregano after about half an hour, and stir through. 

Pastrami Cheese with Penne Pasta

The ingredients are: peppered pastrami trimmings, red pepper, mushrooms, onion, garlic, cornflour, 50g of a soft cheese (in this case camembert), and two pinches of marjoram. Plus 30g of penne pasta (wheat free if preferred).

Cook the pastrami in a little sunflower oil until cooked through (start with a high heat, then turn it down to a low heat). Add half a chopped red pepper, and the onion (diced). Add two crushed and chopped cloves of garlic, and finely sliced mushroom (3 small). Stir frequently until the vegetables are cooked.

Make up a quarter-cup mixture of a teaspoonful of cornflour and water. Add the mixture to the pan containing the pastrami and vegetables. Stir frequently and turn up the heat. Once the sauce begins to thicken, turn down the heat to a simmer, and continue to stir. Cut the cheese into thin strips and add slowly to the sauce. Stir until the cheese has dissolved. Add the marjoram to the sauce.

Boil the pasta in slightly salted water for 8-9 minutes, and drain. Add to a pasta bowl, and then add the pastrami and camembert sauce. Delicious!