As our earliest records of the 18th century show, Shepherd’s Pie was originally known as cottage pie, a modest meal that used left over meat with potato as filler. At this period hard working members of the non-elite classes needed energy to work long hours. While European lower class diets had a relatively high meat content, the energy needed to work on large farms and in factories came from high carb, energy-rich foods developed by Amerindian cultures, like the potato. While we still work hard, our activities are not so physical. With luck and attention to good nutrition, people like us hope to live a bit longer than they did in the 18th century. With all due respect to the inventors of shepherd's pie, we can do better.
Substituting broccoli for meat and not peeling the potatoes makes a nutritious meal rich in vitamins and minerals. Adding the brown rice also adds some protein (although not complete). If you make the mashed potato with butter and egg or grate cheese on the top, you can get the complete protein that way.
This recipe is for two people or one hungry person. Adjust the quantities depending on the number of portions you wish to serve.
Quick Broccoli Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 or 3 florets of broccoli
- 3 small or 1 large potato
- Half a medium sized onion
- 2 or three Roma tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon of butter or substitute
- 1 egg
- Half a cup of brown rice
- Tamari
- Tomato Sauce
Preparation
If you don’t like mashed potato, you can just cook the vegetables with a little bit of grated cheese on the top. Here a few tips to make it better. Scrub the potatoes but do not peel. What’s good for you is right under the skin. Finally, please don’t cook them to mush.
- Put the potatoes into into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Meanwhile, wash and cut up the broccoli, onion and tomatoes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit or 190 Celsius.
- Mix the broccoli, onions and tomatoes together in a casserole.
- When the potatoes are cooked, remove from heat.
- Mash with a little butter and one egg, or whatever you fancy.
- Spread the smooth, creamy mixture on top of the vegetables in the casserole.
- Place on the middle shelf of the oven.
- Bake covered for 10 minutes, and then uncovered for fifteen.
- .Meanwhile, cook the brown rice until softly chewy.
- Serve with brown rice flavored with a little dark soy sauce or tamari and your favourite home made tomato sauce.
Robyn Gillam - Robyn Gillam has worked as a freelance writer since 1989 in the areas of cultural studies, cultural politics, Canadian Literature and ...
