High School and Fish Pie

The Romans who invaded Britain were very fond of fish, but anything that was enjoyed by the occupiers was avoided with scorn by the British, fish in particular because of its association with the Pagan goddess Venus. Over time, fish was eaten in England and was eaten mainly on Fridays to adhere to the teachings of the Church. It was another of the many pagan customs which were assimilated by the Christian church.

During medieval times British fish pies were often cooked with spices and sugar and covered with a pastry lid coated in icing. Today the pie has evolved into a tasty and much healthier meal.

In a Church-run England, there were many fast days that were observed, including the entire forty days during Lent.  During the days of fasting, it was forbidden to eat any kind of  meat whatsoever. Consequently, special fish pies would be baked in which the mixture of fish and seafood was cooked with rosewater, spices, wine and sugar. The pies were then covered with a pastry lid which was often covered in icing. Later in history, a rather unusual recipe emerged from Cornwall, called Stargazy pie where whole herrings are baked in the pie with their heads pointed to the centre poking through the crust, presumably gazing at the stars!

When I was about 13 or 14, we had a Home Economics class where we were going to make fish pie; which, as seen above, has a long history in English cooking. We were given a list of ingredients to purchase and bring in for the class. As usual, I gave my list to my Mum and asked her to buy me the necessary ingredients. Mum thought she was helping me (and her) out by doing a little something "out of the box"; after all, Dad and her were going to have to eat the creation that I was to cook in class that day, and purchased for me a can of smoked fish in oil.

Horrified to find that I had no fresh fish, but rather a can of smoked fish, Mum assured me that it would be "fine" and would increase the taste of the pie. While a great idea, what she had not counted on was that the class was not one where "experimentation" and "free range" was permitted or given.

At school the next day, I walked in with my picnic basket of ingredients and proceeded to unload on my work space. We were given the recipe sheet and then the teacher did a small demonstration of how to cook the fish. It so happened that my work station was right in front of the class and next to the cooking range she was using. When she finished her demonstration, she began walking around the class to see how we were all fairing. I must have been standing dumb-founded because she immediately honed in on me as I tried to decided what to do with the fish that I had in the can. Pop it in milk and cook it like the others were doing, or since it was already smoked, just flake it and add it?

I was soon told that I would not be cooking that day because I had failed to follow simple instructions from the ingredient list and attempted to "deviate" from an already organized plan. When I tried to explain to the teacher that while it was not fresh, I did still bring fish and could create my own version of the same recipe, I was landed in lunchtime detention.

Not being one who was swayed easily, or one who always walked "between lines", the valuable lesson I learned that day was two-fold; 1) don't take what high school Home Economics teachers have to say about cooking as gospel, and 2) there is ALWAYS an "out-of-the-box" method to cooking, and experimentation truly is key.

After that, I used the classes as my own weekly experimentation grounds. When the teacher gave us a recipe list for a certain dish we were going to create, I added some of my own magic, with secret ingredients I'd slip in when no one was looking, a different spice here, and added ingredient there. The results of each dish delighted the teacher, each week thereafter and baffled her as to why mine was always so "different" from the rest of the class. Of course, she never tasted our food, so she could only go on looks and aroma.

Oh and as far as the fish pie with smoked fish goes, if you want to try to do this, you can either purchase a can of fish that is easy to flake and that has not hardened in the smoking process, or better yet, go to a deli and purchase a whole smoked fish. You can follow the method of popping it in milk and bringing to the boil, but I would be very careful on your timing so that you don't over cook the fish. If you really want to try this method, bring the milk to a boil and immediately turn it off.

The other method, and one that I would recommend more, is to omit the entire process of cooking the fish in milk and simply flake it and put it into the step where you would put in the flaked fish if you are cooking the fish. This will give the pie a rich, smoky flavour. Do not omit the milk as you will need it in making the roux sauce.

Fish Pie is really a version of Shepherd's Pie only made with fish and a roux sauce. It's very easy to make, and it does not take a lot of time.

Cooking is like art, you must be creative and let your imagination have fun. Yes, there will be times when you will create a disaster, but TRY the disaster, does it have anything that appeals to you? If so, then recreate and build on the things that are appealing to you and leave out the rest. If you don't experiment of have a few disasters along the way, then you're not really creating. All perfection must come from trial and error. Be keen, be aware, and above all, use your senses and listen to your heart. When you have disasters, don't cry, embrace them because these are the perfect times for you to learn and learn what not to do.

Let your imaginations, your creative juices, and taste buds flow. Try new things and expound on recipes to add a little of your own magic to them.

If you have recipe ideas that you want to know if it will work out, or want to know if something will pair up well, write to me and ask me, I am always here to help you out too.

Ingredients:

1lb fish fillets, skinned and de-boned *cod and haddock are great fish to use*

1 1/2 cups milk (keep extra milk handy in case you need it)

2 TBSP butter

2TBSP white all-purpose flour

1 spring onion, sliced

2 cups carrots, diced

1 cup green peas

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1 cup shredded cheese (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

1LB potatoes, peeled and cooked

1 stick butter

1/4 cup milk

Salt to taste

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1. Boil fish in milk for 7-8 minutes. Remove fish from the milk with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. Pour the milk into a heat proof jug and set aside. Flake the fish into good size flakes and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in the same pan as you cooked the fish in, and then add the flour stirring continually until flour and butter are well combined. Slowly add the milk from the fish, stirring continually to ensure that it does not begin to clump. If you need to add more milk, use the extra milk now. Keep stirring and cook until the roux sauce begins to thicken. Taste the roux and add salt and pepper to taste (salt-water fish often needs a little more salt that you usually use, but go with your taste buds). Now add the onions, carrots, peas, and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 mins until the carrots begin to soften (add more milk if it becomes too thick, but do not allow it to become runny, you still want it somewhat thick but not too thick that the carrots won't cook). Then add the cheese and the fish, stir in gently to combine all. Pour mix into an oven proof baking dish and set aside.

3. Heat oven to 350*F

4. Mash the potatoes until thick and smooth. Using a large spoon, dollop potatoes on top of the fish mix, and using a fork spread the potatoes creating a design on the potatoes using the fork.

5. Place into a 350*F oven for 20 minutes and then increase the heat to 400*F for a further 15-20 minutes or until the top is browned.

6. Remove from oven and let sit for approximately 5-10 minutes before serving.

Leyla's Fish Pie

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Shepherd's Pie (with Vegetarian Alternative)

As I sat pondering what to make for dinner looking at photos of friends frolicking in the snow back East, my heart was turned to wanting comfort food. While we may not be covered in snow here in the Southwest, it is still cooler, and tonight we are heading in for a "cold-front". Can you imagine, we're only going up to 55*F tomorrow! Brrrrrr! Yes, I know my friends and family elsewhere are laughing at me now.

Looking in the fridge, I collected a mishmash of ingredients in my head and my mind immediately went to Shepherd's Pie.

Memories of this yummy dish came flooding back as I remembered being a little girl and loving the thick meaty filling topped by creamy, buttery mashed potatoes, and a crispy topping. Some places enabled the crispness of the topping with bread crumbs, while others added to the flavour by making the top au gratin. Either way, I loved it.

It was not until cooking classes in high school that I made my first shepherd's pie. As I grew up in a mixed-race home in Hong Kong, and "English" food did not make too much of an appearance, even with a mother who was part English; it was not something that was made or served at home.

Over the years since I first made Shepherd's Pie, I have created my own version. Historically, it is made from left over lamb, and is pretty much a chop suey of what is in the fridge/pantry.

As it is traditionally made with lamb, when it is made with beef, it is considered to be Cottage Pie. I have only ever made it with beef, but adding chunks of lamb or ground lamb does intrigue me, and next time I make a trip to my halal butcher, I'll pick some up to try it out.

In the UK, many will make a Sunday night roast leg of lamb. The left overs will be cut up into chunks and mixed with the left over veg (and some fresh added), then popped into a pan and covered with a thick layer of mashed potatoes. This truly is a perfect left-over dish. 

I love this dish because not only does it grab nicely to your belly and comforts the soul, but there is always enough left over for lunch the next day, and left overs are always best the following day, in my opinion anyway.

Ingredients:
1 - 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (or mix ground and cubed lamb)
1 lb potatoes, washed, peeled and quartered.
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 packet brown gravy mix, mixed according to directions
Pepper to taste
Salt (optional)
1 tsp Worchester Sauce
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
1 tsp salt

1. In a heavy saucepan, fry meat until cooked through thoroughly. Drain but do not rinse.
2. Fry onions in the heavy sauce pan until cooked, add garlic. Once the aroma of the garlic wafts up, add the meat back to the pan and stir together well. Add carrots and peas. Add the gravy mix, pepper, and Worchester Sauce, and salt (if using). Stir well to combine everything and then remove to an oven proof dish and set aside.
3. In a separate pot, boil the potatoes until cooked right through (inserting a fork will go in smoothly). Drain and mash potatoes with butter and milk (or cream). Add salt and whip well. Carefully spoon half the potatoes over the meat mixture and smooth out. "Dollop" the remaining half on top and spread unevenly, leaving the top looking rustic. (Alternatively, add the entire amount of potatoes and spread using a fork and then decorate making swirls on top of the potatoes)

NB At this point, you can sprinkle bread crumbs or grated cheese over top.

Put pie into a preheated 350*F oven for 30 - 45 minutes. The top should be browned nicely.

You can serve with a side salad.

Vegetarian Option

I have several friends who are vegetarian, and who often ask me how they can create the same dish in a vegetarian manner. With that in mind, I'd like to offer an alternative for all of my readers who are vegetarian.

1 lb beans  ~ when I have made this, I have done it with a mix of canned kidney beans and garbanzo beans [chickpeas]. I rinse them in a colander to remove the thick starchy liquid.
1 cup lentils, boiled and drained
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cube vegetable stock
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1 cup chopped spinach
Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb potatoes, washed, peeled, and quartered
1/2 lb sweet potatoes, washed, peeled, and cut into chunks
1/2 cup soy milk (or regular milk)
1/2 cup vegetable ghee (or regular butter)
1 tsp salt

1. Fry onions until golden brown. Add garlic and when the aroma wafts up, add the vegetables. Crumble the vegetable cube over and cook through.
2. Boil the lentils until cooked through, add the drained and rinsed beans and mash together. Add this to the vegetable mix and mix together well, add salt and pepper to taste. Place in a oven safe dish smooth out and set aside.
3. Boil the potatoes until cooked through. Drain and mash together with soy milk and softened vegetable ghee. Add salt to taste. Spread over the bean and vegetable mix in the same way as the regular pie.