What Exactly Makes This Chinese? (recipe)

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.

Chinese Pie

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!

Yes, I Am a Domestic Goddess (Recipe)

My Mom is a very good cook. She's not a gourmet, certainly not a culinary snob, but she can follow a recipe and make the most of it. She can also walk into the kitchen, raid the pantry, and make a delicious meal from whatever's on hand. Most impressive is her ability to duplicate, or even improve upon, a (simple) restaurant recipe just by taste.

I was fortunate enough to inherit her skills and the good sense to pay attention when I helped Mom and Babcie (that's Polish for Grandma) in the kitchen. They taught me the basic techniques I needed to survive on my own and be able to cook for myself and others. Just about everything else I know about cooking and cuisine came from watching the Food Network, and before that, various cooking shows like the Great Chefs series and, of course, Julia Child. So when I throw together a recipe I really love I try to write it down immediately. Why? Because if I'm asked to share a recipe I tend to get blank stares when I say things like, ". . .then throw in a little tomato paste and a ton of garlic." How much is "a little?". . .What do you mean by "a ton?" I get it. Some people can cook by feel and some need a real, honest to goodness recipe to follow. With that, I give you a recipe that was a big hit a couple of weeks ago along with a way to use the leftovers AND a variation that tastes completely different.

I didn't have the presence of mind to take any pictures of the original recipe and the leftovers were gone by the time I thought of it, so the photos you see are of the variation that uses sausage.

Auntie's Pasta

2 Tbsp canola or olive oil

2 tsp butter (real butter, not margarine!)

1/2 c onion, chopped

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

2 cloves garlic, chopped (or substitute 1/2 t garlic powder)

1 (12 oz.) box of penne or ziti, cooked until it's almost done, then drained

1-1 1/2 lbs chicken, cut into bite sized cubes

1 c frozen green beans

grated parmesan cheese, to taste

Heat oil and butter in a deep, nonstick pan on medium heat until butter is completely melted

Add onion and sautee until translucent

Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and chicken and sautee until chicken is almost cooked through

Stir in pasta and vegetables

Cover and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are heated through and the chicken is done (about 7-10 minutes)

Dish up and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and serve with a side of garlic bread

Total time in the kitchen: about 45 minutes

Serves 8 generous portions

A Few Notes about Ingredients:

That little bit of butter will add a ton of flavor without adding a lot of saturated fat, so please don't leave it out. If you want to reduce the fat content then reduce the amount of oil slightly.

The pasta I prefer is a tri-color made with actual vegetables to sneak some veggies into the kids' diets or a whole grain pasta. Either is better tasting and more nutritious than that plain old white stuff. The reason you slightly undercook your pasta is that the steam released from your veggies will cook the pasta the rest of the way. If you add fully cooked pasta, it will get mushy. I add quite a bit of salt to my pasta water because I don't add salt to my recipes.

If you aren't crazy about green beans use frozen peas, carrots, or corn. Just make sure your veggies are frozen and not canned.

What to Do with the Leftovers:

The next day, once everything is sufficiently chilled, toss the whole deal with your favorite Italian dressing (about 2 Tbsp per serving) and serve cold. This makes an awesome pasta salad.

Variations:

Auntie's Pasta made with turkey sausage

Instead of chicken and Italian seasoning, use a good quality sausage (I used a turkey and cheddar sausage we all love) and oregano. (Credit for this variation has to go to my BFF who grabbed a package of sausage out of the freezer and asked, "Do you think you can turn this into that thing you made last week with the chicken and the pasta?")

You could also go with sliced steak and summer savory, but I'd leave off the parmesan cheese.

I welcome any other ideas you might have for variations. Please leave them in the comments section.

Happy Cooking!