Living in the Boston area after growing up in New Hampshire, I seldom find myself in situations that would be considered culture shock, but the first time I talked about having made this for dinner, there it was. I grew up eating "Chinese pie." My Polish/Russian mother learned how to make it from her Canadian French sister-in-law.
When I referred to this dish as "Chinese pie," I got nothing but blank stares and, "What the hell is 'Chinese pie?'" Then I was informed that this was called "shepherd's pie." Huh. Go figure.
By the way, it's not really shepherd's pie. Shepherd's pie is generally made with leftover ingredients. Click any of the links to take you to Wikipedia where you may find out more.
Anyhow, this is a favorite of mine as the weather turns cold, but I'd eat it all year because I love it.
1 small onion, diced
2 lbs. ground beef
3 cans cream style corn (see ingredients notes below)
enough mashed potatoes to serve 12
Saute onion and ground beef, seasoned with a little salt and pepper, until cooked through. Drain thoroughly.
Layer ingredients (beef, then corn, then potatoes) evenly in a 9 x 13" baking dish.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes until peaks of potatoes are lightly browned.
A few notes about ingredients:
Don't use the super lean beef, like 97%. This dish needs at least a little fat. I usually prefer about 85%, but have used 90%. (It's better with the 85%.)
Mom always used cream style corn, which is more traditional, but I often go for a mix of cream style and whole kernel. For the pictured example, I used one can of cream style and two cans of whole kernel, but I wished I'd used the opposite.
If you prefer frozen corn, you want to use about 3-4 cups.
Don't cringe. Mom always used instant mashed potatoes. So do I. This dish is terrific made with my garlic mashed potatoes which are made from scratch (yes, that recipe will eventually be posted here on my blog), but it's just not the same.
You may notice that in the photo below you can't see any onion. That's because the kids won't eat it. Instead I substituted about 1/2 tsp of onion powder. They didn't notice and I didn't miss having the real thing.
What to do with the leftovers:
Reheat them in the microwave. This is one of those dishes that's even better the next day. In fact, you could assemble the whole deal, refrigerate it overnight, then heat it in the oven the next day. It will take longer to heat from the fridge, probably about 45minutes.
Enjoy!
I love reading your posts. Thank you.
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Thank you so much Kaye!
ReplyDeleteI have made Chinese pie with use of lean beef. You are right that it is good to avoid lean beef which makes it more fatty. When i had served this pie on my dinning table, no body liked my new experiment.
ReplyDeleteYep, it needs that little bit of fat that you get from the beef.
ReplyDeleteI've made this recipe every which way including using ground chicken, turkey, or a combination,but I always go back to the way it's been handed down through the generations of my father's side of the family.
I made it last weekend because it was requested, but the request came with a demand for gravy. Huh. My bff's hubs handed me a jar of brown gravy & said, "Just heat it up. Trust me."
I'm willing to try anything once. It was yummy and the kids loved it.
also grew up eating chinese pie in Washington State. I have made often and everyone loves it. People have also told me that it was shephards pie and I always tell them it is not. It has a unigue taste, not shephards pie taste. I am 49 years old and finally asked my dad (who had always made for us) where the recipe came from and he told me that my mother, who grew up in New Hampshire, and a group of girls in high school made it up in home ec class. I don't think that is the original place it started but it is interesting that it is a New Hampshire thing.
ReplyDeleteHey Judith! Thanks for stopping by. According to Wikipedia, it's actually a Canadian thing that migrated south to New England, much the same way American Chop Suey did.
DeleteChinese Pie, pâté chinois in French, is not only a very comforting dish, but also noutishinf, cheap and easy to make. That's why it was served to the chinese workers of the canadian railway. Hence the name Chinese pie.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog! I used to read the Big Girl Jewelry one, than I stumbled onto this one on Ravelry. Any post more recent than 2015 ?
Also Where can I buy your patterns ? I would like to purchase the Scrubbies Bundle.
Have a nice day, Danielle
Thanks Danielle. I have always loved what we called China Pie and they even served it at school. I assumed since it was not exactly traditional Chinese ingredients it was invented in America but thought the railroad workers cooked but that seemed odd that they would have come up with even here. Your saying was served to them clears away those problems.
ReplyDeleteI have said if I could only have two dishes for ever it would China Pie and Scotheroos (delicious! for those who have not had them). Only problem with both of them is I will keep picking at them. You know a quarter inch slice of Scotcheroo makes you feel like you are being good until the pan is empty! Chinese pie is fine cold from the fridge too. I like to brown the top for flavor and texture. Saltines and a little ketchup in the meat loaf part. Wish I could still eat like that and not gain weight.