Comfort eating... mincemeat and cabbage - Monday April 8th 2013

I am feeling a bit better today. better enough to cook, though with little enthusiasm for anything elaborate. Which in the end extended to mashed potatoes .. I just cut up some new potatoes and threw them in a pot.

Mince though. That is easy to eat, easy to cook, just all round easy.

I am sure you have your own ways, but if not here is mine. This is my usual base for cottage pie as well, but that would have meant mashed potatoes...

For two people, generous portions

• 400g good quality lean minced beef
• 2 medium onions (or one large one or three small ones...) 
• 2 cloves garlic
• sprinkling of flour
• 1 tbs tomato ketchup
• 1 tbs Lea and Perrins Worcester sauce
• 1 teaspoon Essential Cuisine beef stock powder (or any other stock powder, granules or cubes you may have but Essential Cuisine are the best by a long way) 
• 1 teaspoon gravy browning or caramel
• sprinkle of herbs - I like thyme and marjoram

Chop the onions and garlic and put in a saucepan with a splash of olive oil and a cup of water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the water has evaporated and the onions have started to sizzle. Add the minced beef and cook, breaking the meat up to brown all sides.

Sprinkle with flour and mix this in thoroughly. Add water until a gravy texture is reached. Add the ketchup, L&P, gravy browning, herbs and stock powder.  Bring to a simmer and cook for around 40 minutes stirring from time to time. Add a little more water as it reduces to keep to the consistency that you like, I tend to keep it thicker for cottage pie.

Serve with potatoes and vegetables, (Or allow to get cold and cover with mashed potatoes for cottage pie )