Make Ahead

Cottage Pie

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July  9, 2015
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Cottage Pie
Photo by Sandra Ramacher
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

Cottage Pie is the traditional fare of the sheep farmer, right? I envisage undulating hills, green pastures dotted with woolly sheep and a young shepherd chewing on a blade of grass. As dusk ascends beneath the dewy hills, the shepherd heads home, tempted by the mouthwatering aroma of a juicy cottage pie baking in his mother’s oven. Perhaps the first chapter of my novella ‘Fifty Shades of Sheep’? Anyway, this is a blog and I’m allowed to try some creative writing.

Nevertheless, this cottage pie is as comforting as being squished into your mother’s warm bosom. The Lima Bean Mash is beautifully creamy atop a rich and rustic meaty filling and the combination-totally moorish. Even though the recipe could feed six, I think it’ll only make it through four hungry mouths. —Sandra Ramacher

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 500 grams lima beans – soaked overnight
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 onions – finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic – minced
  • 2 carrots – peeled and chopped
  • 1000 grams beef mince
  • 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  • 1 1/2 cups beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme – stem removed
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley – chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 400 grams cauliflower
  • 75 grams butter/olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon coconut cream
  • salt & pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Drain the lima beans, rinse and place into a heavy bottomed pot filling it with water to cover the beans.
  2. Cook for 1 ½ – 2 hours until the beans have softened. Drain and set aside.
  3. Place a little more oil into the pan and add the mince and cook, separating any clumps, until the meat has changed color. Sprinkle in the coconut flour, stir and cook for a minute.
  4. Then add the stock, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, fish sauce, the herbs and spices and bring to boil. Turn down the heat to simmer and add the onion/carrot mixture and the bay leaf and gently simmer for 45 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  5. Prepare the cauliflower by removing the hard stems and retaining the florets. In a saucepan cook the cauliflower with 1 cup of water and the lid on for around 15 minutes until it has softened. Drain and place into a food processor with the lima beans. Process until smooth.
  6. Add the butter/olive oil, coconut cream and salt & pepper. The mash should be firm, so add the butter and coconut cream gradually to make sure it doesn’t get to soft.
  7. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly grease a 2.5 ltr/10 cup ovenproof dish. Spoon the meat filling into the dish and spread the mash over the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top has become golden brown and the filling begins to bubble.
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