Italian Style Veal Cottage Pie

Yudhika is cooking with the fresh flavours of Italy today She starts by preparing a hearty Veal Cottage Pie topped with Parmesan Cheese followed by a Penne with Chicken and Artichoke dish. To finish off the feast a Malva Pudding with a touch of Italian liqueur and a luscious chocolate sauce.

Ingredients

  • 900g veal, finely chopped
  • 45ml sunflower oil
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • Pinch of salt, to season
  • 200g carrots, finely chopped
  • 100g bacon, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 400g tin chopped Italian tomatoes
  • 500ml beef stock
  • 100ml red wine
  • Few sprigs dried oregano or 10ml dried oreganum Fresh parsley, to garnish

Method

  1. Heat the sunflower oil in an 30cm Gourmet Roaster
  2. Add the bay leaf and fry until fragrant.
  3. Add the chopped onion to the oil and saute until cooked just past translucent.
  4. Stir the chopped carrots into the onion, and saute until they soften.
  5. Next, add the bacon and cook until the fat melts.
  6. Add the garlic and fresh thyme.
  7. Fry the garlic off for about ten seconds, add the chopped veal.
  8. Stir-fry the veal for 2 – 3 minutes on a high heat.
  9. Add the tomatoes, beef stock, red wine and oregano. 
  10. Season with black pepper.
  11. Reduce the heat and simmer until the veal is cooked through – this should take about ten minutes.
  12. The veal should not be cooked down until dry. 

For the topping

    • 800g potatoes, boiled in the skins
    • Pinch of salt, to season
    • 50g butter, melted
    • 20ml fresh thyme leaves
    • 125ml parmesan, grated
  • Remove the skins from the potatoes and grate them into a mixing bowl.
  • Season with a pinch of salt, add the melted butter and fresh thyme leaves.
  • Add the parmesan, and stir lightly to mix the ingredients together.
  • Top the cooked veal with potato.
  • Bake at 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes or until the potato topping is golden brown.
  • Garnish with chopped parsley.