Goji Berry, Red Date, and Lamb Shepards Pie
By: The Spice Doc
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 4:07pm

Ingredients




1 pound ground lamb
1/2 pound ground beef
3 fresh garlic cloves
1 large vidalia onion
3 large carrots
1 large tomato
2 cups green peas
2 cups chopped baby bella mushrooms
6 Idaho russet (medium sized) potatoes
butter
Whole milk 
grey coarse sea salt 
fresh cracked black pepper 
beef stock
7 ounces aged cheddar cheese
3 thai bird chile
cup Gou Qi Zi (goji berries) 
cup Da Zao (red dates)

Preparation

1 Prep Work :   Peel potatoes and chop into large chunks (meanwhile boil salted water to put them in). Mince 3 garlic cloves (more if you want!), chop onion coarsely, chop green pepper into 1 cm cubes, chop tomato into small squares (it will cook away), peel carrots and chop into little squares (if you want larger chunks go for it). Pre-boil green peas for 10 mins – strain and set to side. 2 If the Gou Qi Zi and the Da Zao are dried as you will likely find in the U.S., then rehydrate them in water for at least one hour, then strain and drain out the water.   Chop up finely both the Gou Qi Zi (Goji Berries) and the Da Zao (Red Dates).  You will need to cut the red dates in half and de – pit them before mincing. 3 Put 1-2 tbspns of olive oil or other cooking oil in a pan, put it on medium heat, place garlic in first and saute until it starts to cook, add the onions, put on a low heat and let both cook until the onions begin to become translucent.  Add in 1-2 chopped Thai bird chiles or other spice if desired.  Add in the goji berries and the red dates and continue cooking for a few more minutes as the onions soften more and the dates and goji berries begin to meld into them.  Add the chopped carrots and the green peas, keep cooking (add oil if it is beginning to stick at this point).  Add the chopped green pepper.  Once everything has begun to meld together more, add salt and pepper to taste (rec’d:  2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper to start). 4 At this point your pan should contain a very nicely melded and cooked base, keep stirring (don’t let it stick), add the beef & lamb, mince it with the spatula and keep stirring!  Once the beef and the lamb are nicely minced and cooking with everything, add one chopped tomato.  Stir it up.  Add 1 cup beef stock.  Keep stirring and cooking (you will be cooking this on the pan from start to finish for 25 mins).  Let the liquid cook down a little bit, add more if there isn’t enough (you want it to look moist with some juice but not soupy).  Add more salt and pepper to taste (TASTE at this point). 5 Meanwhile your potatoes have cooked in boiling water, strain them, leave a little cooking liquid, add butter, salt, pepper, and milk and MASH.  Set to the side. 6 Your base should have continued cooking, you should have tasted it by now to make sure it’s salty and savory enough.  Add mushrooms at this point.  Stir them in until they are just cooked.  Turn off heat and let it cool. 7 Place base in two medium sized pirex baking pans or one large one.  Add the potatoes, smooth over with a fork. 8 Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. 9 Grate cheddar cheese on the potatoes into a thin layer. 10 Put in oven and cook for 20 mins.  Broil the last 3-5 mins to brown the cheese on top but make SURE you watch so that it does not burn, remove once it is browned (this could take less than 5 mins). 11 Let it cool 10 mins and ENJOY!

About


A blood and energy replenishing recipe post partum or post surgery.  Lamb, goji berries, and red dates are all TCM medicinals used to build the blood, tonic for the kidneys and liver, and to build energy.  Chile peppers move the blood.  Mushrooms treat the liver.  Potatoes treat the digestion. All the other ingredients form a nourishing and balanced meal around these central ingredients.