(Dolen Perkins-Valdez, hardback). From the title you might think this is a book about the s-x word. It’s not. By a long shot. But the story, set in about 1852, is about a black slave woman, and her somewhat misguided “love” for her master. About the children she bore him, under the eagle eye of the master’s wife. But it’s all tied together with a yearly journey made to a place called Tawawa House, a rural inn of sorts in southern Ohio (a free State), that for some years allowed white slave owners to stay at the resort in rustic cottages with their black slaves, as couples. This place existed, according to the author’s afterword, and finally closed because some of the regulars (white couples who stayed in the main house) didn’t fancy this concubine business going on out in the woods. It’s about Lizzie’s relationships with the other slave women, about their desire to run to safety through the local underground, about them secretly meeting some free blacks, finding out more about abolition, and about the hardships all these black mistresses endured, and how little their lives were valued. A real stunning book. (I was sent this book as a perk from Harper Collins – because I had mentioned The Help. No strings attached – I could choose to mention this book, or not, here on my blog. I’m glad to because it’s a very good read.)
(Jamie Ford, on my Kindle). A poignant story about a Chinese-American, growing up in Seattle at the beginning of World War II. Henry falls in love with a young Japanese girl before her family is interned in a relocation camp. It a very secretive relationship because his parents would highly disapprove. The story goes back to the 40’s and forward to the 1980’s when Henry is in his 50’s and his wife (not the Japanese woman) has just died of cancer. The story pulls you in from the first page, especially when some artifacts are found in the basement of an old hotel which contain personal belongings from several Japanese families who were suddenly taken away back in 1942. You can see where it’s going, can’t you? I heard criticism of this book that it was just a little bit contrived. Halfway through I’m enjoying it very much.
(Kathryn Stockett on my Kindle, an excellent read); 
by Jetta Carleton (Kindle edition, eh); 
by Susan Richards (Kindle edition, good book); 
by Sally Gunning (Kindle edition, very good read)
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(Mario Batali & Gweneth Paltrow); 
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So, last week I had about a pound of leftover leg of lamb. Cooked leg of lamb. My imagination failed me – I couldn’t come up with anything very innovative, nor did I really come up with anything ELSE to do with this except Shepherd’s Pie. Now, I love the stuff, but as I sat there in my kitchen typing up this post, although the A/C was set at 75, I was sweating because I’d been working in front of the oven, and stirring over the hot stove. Not a happy camper did this make. But, it had to be done. A quick dip in the pool was in order that evening. Our outside temp is in the mid 80’s most days. Somehow, Shepherd’s Pie just didn’t fit the mold for a summer dinner on the patio. But oh well. That’s what I had! And that’s what I made.
I have a fantastic Shepherd’s Pie with Latin Twist that I posted – oh, probably last year – that has a southwest flair to it and uses mashed sweet potatoes and regular potatoes on the top. It’s a spicy hot mixture. But the leg of lamb leftovers didn’t suit me for that recipe, so I went online and found one at Epicurious. Other testers had made some comments, so I took those into consideration as I chopped and minced, stirred, and thickened the mixture. My version is a very loose adaptation of that recipe.
My understanding is that Shepherd’s Pie was one of those things British home cooks did with the leftover Sunday roast and the leftover Sunday mashers. And likely the leftover gravy as well. At least that’s the way I’ve made it many times in the past. But I didn’t have anything except the leftover lamb, so needed to improvise with all the other ingredients. I don’t like turnips. I didn’t have leeks. So, I used what I had on hand (onions, carrots, celery, the lamb and potatoes). I totally forgot to add the frozen peas. But then, I’m not all that crazy about overcooked peas; and that’s why sometimes I sprinkle the just refreshed frozen peas to the TOP of the dish after it’s come out of the oven. That way you still have bright green peas. They’re kind of a mandatory ingredient in my book.
This made enough for one deep dish pie plate and two single crocks full of it for the freezer. If you have he-men eating, maybe this won’t serve 8, but if you round out a meal with a salad perhaps, this would certainly serve that many normal servings. Verdict: really, really good. The sauce was finger-lickin’ good with the use of red wine and some of the chicken broth concentrate (the paste stuff I buy at Penzey’s).
Lamb Shepherd’s Pie
Recipe: Inspired and loosely adapted from a recipe on Epicurious.
Servings: 8
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 whole yellow onion — minced
3 whole carrots — cubed or sliced
2 stalks celery — diced
2 whole garlic cloves — minced
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 cups broth — beef or chicken
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 pound lamb — cooked, cubed
2 teaspoons dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
MASHED POTATOES:
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
3 tablespoons milk — or cream, or half and half
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat a large, heavy skillet and add the oil and butter. When it’s bubbling, add the diced onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and continue cooking until the vegetables are nearly cooked, but not soft. Add the garlic. Sprinkle the flour all over the vegetables and stir to make sure all the flour is absorbed with the vegetables. Add all of the liquid (broth and wine) at the same time and simmer until the mixture has thickened.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the peeled potatoes. Simmer until the potatoes are just barely cooked through. Drain and mash while they’re hot. Add the milk, butter, cream cheese and seasonings. Adjust seasonings to taste.
3. To the large skillet with the vegetables, add the lamb, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste, and season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Add more water if mixture is too thick.
4. Pour or scoop the meat mixture into a deep pie dish or casserole. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top, and try to spread it to the outer edges.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 and bake the pie for about 20-30 minutes until heated through. Add cheese on top if you’d prefer it (Cheddar or Parmesan).
Per Serving: 430 Calories; 21g Fat (47.1% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 41g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 56mg Cholesterol; 185mg Sodium.
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