Recipe Remix - Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Goats' Cheese Mash

Hello Danielle and Robin:

Like your blog - found it on Is My Blog Burning. I've decided on the "Sheperd's Pie" for my remix. I have a great recipe from Delia Smith, the par excellence cookery expert from Britain. She has written a number of super cook books (I have ordered a couple through Amazon.co.uk)and she also has a website at Delia Online. The dish is a very tasty vegetarian version of Shepherd's Pie, not at all bland like so many veggie recipes.

Here it is, slightly adapted from Delia's:

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Goats' Cheese and Mash
Serves 4


Ingredients

5 oz green split peas (no need to soak), rinsed
5 oz green lentils (no need to soak), rinsed
3 oz peeled carrots
3 oz peeled swede (turnip)
1 large onion, peeled
1 small green peper, deseeded
2 oz butter, plus a little extra for greasing
8 oz tomatoes
1 heaped tablespoon chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as sage, rosemary, thyme and parsley
1/4 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 level teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the topping:
4 oz. soft goats' cheese
1 lb 8 oz potatoes, peeled
2 oz butter
2 tablesppons milk
1 oz Pecorino-Romano cheese, grated
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Put the split peas and lentils into a saucepan. Add 1-1/4 pints (2-1/2 cups) boiling water and some salt, cover and simmer gently for 50-60 minutes, or until the pulses have absorbed the water and are soft. Then remove them from the heat and mash them just a little with a large fork. Now pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5 (375 degrees F), and boil the potatoes. Next, roughly chop all the vegetables, pile the whole lot into a food processor and process until chopped small. Next, meld the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the vegetables and cook gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring now and then until they're softened and tinged gold at the edges.

Meanwhile, skin the tomatoes. Place them in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water on to them. After exactly a minute (or 15-30 seconds, if they are small), remove them (protecting your hands with a cloth if the tomatoes are hot), slip off their skins and slice them.

After that, add the vegetables to the pulses mixture, along with the herbs, spices and salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste. Then spoon the mixture into a 9 inch round, 2 inches deep baking dish and arrange the tomatoes in overlapping slices on the top.

As soon as the potatoes are cooked, place them in a bowl, add the butter, milk and goats' cheese, whisk to a smooth puree, season with salt and freshly milled black pepper and spread the potato over the rest of the ingredients in the dish. Finally, sprinkle over the Pecorino-Romano cheese and bake the pie on the top shelf of the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

Looking forward to your next Remix challenge.