An Anglophile Foodie

As a Canadian I am utterly aware of my roots.  All Candians have families "from" somewhere.  We are a young country and pround of our Canadian-ness but also acutely aware of our familial histories.  My ancestors were Scottish, British, Irish and a little German.  I know that this history has influenced my culinary preferences because I am drawn too, ok, obsessed with, all things British.  I also have a soft spot for all things Irish but I will admit to being a true Anglophile.
Like many Canadians I am an avid Corrie watcher (if you don't know what "Corrie" is you should hang your head in shame!). I love the British Monarchy, I made my poor little sister bring me a Willaim and Kate wedding mug when she was last in London.  If it's funny and on TV it was probably a British show first and yes, the best TV Chefs are British.  This makes me drawn to foods like roast dinners with mashed potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts and yorkshire puddings or chicken pot pies or yummy scones.  I've never really thought: "Gee, I need to make the perfect stir-fry!"  but I have been know to say "Oh ya, I make THE best chicken pot pie!".
I honestly believe that no matter how long ago your family "came over" from wherever, they've gifted us with a rich history that's in our blood and in our spirit and which draws us to our roots.  And so that is why two of my favorite things go so well together, a love of all things British and a love for cooking all things British.

With that in mind, here is a decidedly English, comfort food recipe. (Yes I know it's Scottish by origin but basically if it's served in a Pub we can bend the rules here).  A simple Sheperd's Pie and a nice onion gravy which is a family favorite in our home...except for my 2 year old who ate this for dinner tonight:

Sheperd's Pie with Onion Gravy

Beef layer:

Brown about 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef, once almost cooked add 1 packet of onion soup mix.  In my house we don't like the onion bits so I use a sieve and just sprinkle through the actual powder.  If using a soup mix offends you, just add salt and pepper to your beef while it's cooking with a splash or 2 worcestershire sauce. 

Put beef into bottom of a casserole dish.

Veg layer:

I usually chop and boil some carrots while the potatoes are boiling to get a bit more veg into the "pie" that my kids will eat.  I also use frozen "Peaches and Cream" corn niblets, I'm not a fan of the canned corn.  Feel free to use any veg you want such as peas, sweet potato, green beans etc.

Add veggies to beef layer and top with a nice, thick layer of mashed potatoes. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and you're all set!

For the Onion Gravy, use a heavy bottomed frying pan.

Splash in couple glugs of olive or vegetable oil and add 2 finely sliced onions to hot pan.  Once onions start cooking a bit, add a good knob of butter. 

Once onions have cooked down for about 10 minutes, add 2 teaspoons of sugar and brown another 2-3 minutes.  Sprinkle onions with 1 tblsp of flour.

In a large measuring cup, measure 2 cups of beef broth, add a splash of worcestershire sauce and

1 teaspoon of dry mustard.  Whisk together and add to frying pan.  Cook on low-med heat so gravy cooks down a bit and thickens up.

Serve gravy over Sheperd's pie, yum!

Happy Cooking!