Ground beef, onions, mushrooms, and peas, covered with mashed potatoes, and baked until golden.
Originally created in England to use up leftovers from the Sunday roast by adding any readily available vegetable, «shepherd's pie» found a new life in North America where corn was soon added to the basic recipe. In French Canada it is known as «China Pie», either because the cooks of the railway companies, who were making such a cheap dish, were all Chinese, or because some Québécois workers having eaten this meal in a city named China, Maine, brought the recipe back home towards the middle of the 19th century.
5 | potatoes, peeled then halved | 1 kg | |
1 1/2 | onions, finely chopped | 300 g | |
16 | button (white) mushrooms, thinly sliced | 220 g | |
2 tbsp | olive oil | 30 mL | |
500 g | ground beef, extra-lean, or lean | ||
3/4 cup | canned tomatoes (diced) | 200 g | |
2 tbsp | tomato paste | 35 g | |
1 tbsp | Worcestershire sauce | 15 mL | |
1 cup | beef broth | 250 mL | |
1 cup | frozen peas | 120 g | |
1 cup | milk, partly skimmed, 2% | 250 mL | |
2 tbsp | butter, unsalted | 28 g | |
ground pepper to taste [optional] | |||
1 pinch | salt [optional] | 0.2 g |
For individual pies, choose baking dishes which contain about 375 ml or 1 ½ cups when 3/4 full.
The pies can be frozen right after having been covered with the mashed potatoes and individually wrapped. They can be baked (taken directly from the freezer) for about 50 min at 205°C/400°F.
per 1 serving (400 g)
Amount % Daily Value |
Calories 380 |
Fat 14 g 21 % |
Saturated
5.7 g
30 % |
Cholesterol 60 mg |
Sodium 260 mg 11 % |
Carbohydrate 41 g 14 % |
Fibre 4 g 16 % |
Sugars 8 g |
Net Carbs 37 g |
Protein 24 g |
Vitamin A 35 % |
Vitamin C 34 % |
Calcium 9 % |
Iron 22 % |
Food Group | Exchanges |
---|---|
Starches | 2 |
Vegetables | 1 ½ |
Milk and Alternatives | 0 |
Meat and Alternatives | 2 |
Fats | 2 ½ |
Another much simpler explanation for the French Canadian name "Paté chinois" (Chinese pie) is that the name is a deformation of Shepherd's Pie. A traditional Quebec dish, cipaille is another deformation. Its original name is Sea Pie, a British naval dish using various meats (no fish)
This was yummy, although a little runny. My potatoes were a bit on the small side so I used a couple of extras, but when I added the milk&butter mixture, I should have done it gradually because it became more soupy than creamy. Still, the whole "pie" solidified somewhat during the baking period, so it turned out okay. Liked the combination of flavours, especially the mushroom bits - which is exactly why my five-year-old didn't eat it. :)
I like this recipe a lot, particularly because it is easy to make a bigger quantity and freeze without it losing the taste. Great to just pop it in the oven in those winter evenings when you just feel like curling up under your blanket and watching TV!