The best shepherd's pie

We just had what, to our mind, is the best shepherd’s pie. This was at a lunch we had a few days ago with family at the tiny restaurant called Lusso in the chapel side of Greenbelt 5. This English dish, which we presume was originally made from leftover roast beef, is probably a rehash that eventually captured the taste of gourmands. Through time, this evolved into a main dish, using not only beef but lamb and veal, done with gravy, vegetables and topped with mashed potatoes.  

The shephered’s pie served at Lusso satisfied us so much, we were not ashamed to scrape the bottom of the small casserole dish. It had chunks of lamb meat, very tender and flavorful with the sauce, resting on a bed of prunes, making a perfect balance for the robust meat.

Another dish that gained the approval of those with us was the three cheese omelette with truffle oil which was creamy and uniquely enhanced by the oil. Diners might simply be hankering for this new twist in doing eggs. Santis could be selling the truffle oil, in case some would like to try it at home. Quite expensive.

Back at home, with some idle time, we decided to review the culinary books we have in our library and came up with the following list of terms/recipes which usually come up when cooking or dining out. This will hopefully help us understand some culinary terminology we often read in menus and cook books.

Organic food – there has been lots said and written about this. Suddenly a few years back, people became conscious of what is natural, hence organic. It was in the US Congress in 1990 that the Federal Organic Foods Production Act was passed, calling for certification that food has been cultivated and processed without the use of chemicals of any kind or fertilizers, insecticides, flavorings and additives. Our own growers have gone into this and injected the idea of sustainability, meaning crops are raised and animals are bred without endangering the environment. Look for the real organic food outlets and contribute to sustainability.

Osso bucco is a popular item on some restaurant menus. This is one of our favorites when dining out. Strange, but like tiramisu, each outlet has a different interpretation of this dish. Hence it becomes an adventure every time we order this. This is Italian and normally makes use of veal, but we have done this at home using beef – batok (neck) and kenchi (leg).

This is quite easy to prepare and one does not have to cook it in an oven. The meat is braised in olive oil, stock, tomatoes, onions, anchovies, garlic, carrots, celery and lemon peel. All those give the osso bucco a rich, multi-faceted flavor. 

A lot of foodies often order pasta alfredo when eating out. This was created in the 1920s by Roman restaurateur Alfredo Di Lello, who popuplarized fettuccini alfredo with a sauce of heavy cream, butter, grated parmesan and salt and pepper.

Present day cooks, even homemakers, can enhance this by adding egg yolks, flour and garlic. Rich! 

We first came across the word aioli in one restaurant in Makati. This is a delicious dip for fried, grilled, roasted or baked fish, meats and vegetables. People who love the taste of garlic normally go for this, as it is made of strongly flavored garlic (we always use the native variety) and mayonnaise. This originated from Provence, France.

In some recipes, suet is required. This is the solid white fat found around the kidneys and loins of cows, sheep and other animals. It might be quite difficult to ask your butcher for this, but it can be substituted with the fat often found in beef cuts like sirloin.

Jus is easy to understand – it is juice. Au jus means the food is cooked in its own juice, either meat, fruits or vegetables.

Hope this will encourage you to read menus and cookbooks more.

Happy cooking!

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