Comfy Cozy Shepard's Pie

If a warm, cozy blanket could be a meal, this would be it. Serve it up on a blustery day and get taken away. This twist on a traditional favourite will quickly become a mainstay with everyone asking for the recipe. The addition of sun dried tomatoes gives it a truly unique flavour profile that'll brings on rave reviews. Bake in a cast-iron skillet to up the wow-factor, and compliment with a great bottle of red and a side of steamed greens. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 medium Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes

• 1 large head of cauliflower

• 5 tablespoons dairy-free margarine

• 1 large sweet onion diced finely

• 2 large carrots diced finely

• 4 cloves of garlic crushed

• 2 sticks of celery diced finely

• 1 tablespoon coriander

• ½ a bunch of fresh thyme, picked

• 2 cups of diced cremini mushrooms

• 12 sun-dried tomatoes roughly chopped

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1/2 cup red wine

• 2 tbs flour

• 1/4 cup vegetable stock plus for sautéed diced veggies

• 1/4 cup of vegetable stock for mixture

• 1 x 14 oz tin of lentils

• 1 x 14 oz tin of chickpeas

• 5 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley, picked

• 1 tsp dried rosemary

• 1 tsp crushed sage

• 1/4 cup honey or agave syrup

• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

• 1 lemon

• 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs

• 2 tbs olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F

2. Peel and chop all the potatoes and head of cauliflower into half inch pieces.  Place both into a large pot of salted water over medium heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until all are very tender. Drain and return to the pot, adding the margarine, a splash or two of non-dairy milk and salt and pepper to taste. Mash until smooth. Set aside. Place back on heat if they are too "wet" and mash until excess moisture evaporates. The cauliflower holds on to water, so you may need to do this to achieve desired consistency.

3. Put the diced onion, celery, carrots, and 2 cloves worth of crushed garlic into a nonstick pan on medium heat with 1/4 cup of vegetable stock. 

4. Sprinkle in the coriander, thyme, rosemary and sage then cook for around 10 minutes, or until softened. If pan gets dry, add a splash more of vegetable stock to avoid burning and turn down the heat.

5. Meanwhile roughly chop the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes, then add to the pan along with the balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons of the sun-dried tomato oil from the jar.

6. Cook for another 5 minutes, then add wine and turn up the heat, allowing it to bubble. Stir in the other 1/4 cup of stock, lentils and chickpeas (with juice and all), and leave to slightly thicken. This could take 10 or 15 minutes. You can whisk in a tablespoon or two of of flour if you prefer a thicker consistency, which I recommend.

7. Roughly chop the parsley leaves, then stir into the pan. Add honey. Stir. Season to taste, then transfer mixture to a 9 inch cast iron skillet or any medium to large casserole baking dish you have on hand.

8. Spread the mash over the top, scuffing it up with the back of a spoon. You can do this layer as thin or thick as you like.

9. Take the 2 remaining crushed garlic cloves and place into a bowl with the rosemary leaves, lemon juice, breadcrumbs and olive oil. Mix well, then sprinkle over the mash.

10.  Place in the hot oven for around 10 minutes, or until piping hot through and top begins to brown. Garnish with more herbs for presentation. If you like, serve with a vegetarian gravy of your choice and seasonal greens as a side dish. 

*This recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver's Vegan Shepard's Pie.