h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Cottage Pie- A Recipe - A853689
Author: KerrAvon(Scout)- thingite in charge of revoltionary misspelt graffetttti - U189636

I made this for Bruce a few weeks ago, and he liked it so much he insisted on it three nights in a row . Thought I'd share it with the world.

Three (3) PEOPLE ? Good grief man, what size are the people in your house ?

Sounds delicious though, I personally, like some tomato in it as well. When desperation strikes a tin of baked beans added to the mix also means the dish can be stretched to include an unexpected extra guest.

We're hungry people, who tend to skip on lunch, and do manual work during the day I know, you'd thimnk it would serve more, but you'd be surprised how much the mince reduces. If you like tomato, then add it- this is just the recipe *I* know

Streching to extras- that's why cottage pie is great- it's so adaptable

Cheers for the comments.

I looked at the title and wondered 'I wonder if she's put cheese in with the potato' - and lo and behold, it's there!

For veggies, I would be tempted to add (or soy mince) - although I''m sure most intelligent people would make the substitution anyway.

It might be nice to add a bit at the bottom for variations, eg mushrooms (I don't think I saw them in the recipe, but I'm too lazy to go back and look).

No, ZSF, they're not there You can add all sorts of veg, and you're right, a comment to that effect is a good idea.

Around the Midlands, without cheese, it's Sheppard's Pie.

No it's not. Shepherds pie is made with lamb mince...

'Cottage Pie- A Recipe' - can we have a space before the '-' please?

'1kg 375g' - I think this is a bit difficult to read, having two seperate quantities. Is '1.375kg' easier?

'½tsb' - what's one of them then? I suspect you mean tsp (teaspoon) (and 'tbls' should be 'tbsp')

'corriander' - should be 'coriander', I believe. Do you mean ground coriander seeds, or chopped coriander leaves?

'1tsb garlic' - I'd put the amount of garlic as a number of cloves (unless you're using powdered/crushed garlic?)

There's a ')' missing after '200°C'

In the 'Preparation' section, the first, third, fourth, and fifth paragraphs are missing their final '.'

Why have you put a '' after each header?

Interesting that you cook it entirely (apart from boiling the spuds) in the oven. I've always cooked the mince mixture on the stove, and put it all together before chucking it in the oven.

J

Thanks for those Justin- I *knew* those abbreviatations looked wrong

If I try and correct them now, it'll go hidiously wrong, so I'll sort tomorrow. The s are there becuase it looked squashed without them- what does the guidelines call for?

I find cooking it all in the oven keeps the mince tender, and makes the whole thing hold together better as a pie. It is important to rember to drain the fat off tho'- otherwise you end up with a sloppu mess.

Cottage/Shepherd's pie- so what do you call either lamb or beef without the cheese

Sloppy, even

Squashed how? Vertically? You shouldn't need anything like that. As far as I can tell, the GuideML is spot on apart from that. I have noticed that pages look slightly different when you 'preview' them than they do when you update them. Maybe that's happening here?

It's never made any difference to me whether or not there's cheese involved. Lamb is shepherds, beef is cottage (although I've never understood what cows would want with a cottage). Cheese is just an optional extra!

J

A couple of other things I thought of - you could substitute parsnips for the spuds (or have a mixture) - especially good if you have allergy problems with potatos.

I usually run a fork over the top of the potato, to create a sort of ridge effect before baking - helps it to crisp up a bit.

O:-J

So do I, I must have forgotten that bit.

All changes suggested now made, btw.

Looks good!

What's the measurement for the garlic? Is it meant to be tsp or tbsp? Also, why is there a space in '1 tbsp' for the mixed herbs, but none of the others? I suspect you mean dried mixed herbs... can you clarify this in the entry? Similarly, I think it should be ground black pepper as well...

Could you add metric equivalents for the tsp and tbsp measurements please? 1tbsp=15ml, 1tsp=5ml if memory serves.

Further up the thread I think there was a suggestion for an 'optional extras' section - or did you decide against this?

J

I meant tablespoon for the garlic- what idiot decided the abrevs. for tablespoon and teaspoon should be so similar?

Optional extras- I put in a sentence alongside the instructions for mixing the veg in the gravy- do you think it would be clearer as a note at the end of the ingredients?

I'll get on to the rest of the suggestions shortly- possibly not tonight, my connection has decided to do an impression of a yo-yo

Done

Gravy? GRAVY? God knows why I said that. I meant mince, of course

I am trying to understand this from a Unitedstatian point of view. I think it's nearly the same as something my mom would cook. It was layered in a heavy pan on the stove with Worcestershire Sauce, crumbled mince, the other ingredients you've listed, and merely shredded potatoes. It never got crunchy. She called it '(One) Skillet Dinner'.

Is the mince crumbled (on two different instances)and the veg added to the mix to make a large savory loaf, or is the veg just lain on top of the baking layer of meat, and then potatoes/parsnips on the other veg?

The veg is mixed in- I'll add a line to make that clearer, cheers.

I've added a sentence at the point about adding veg- clearer now?

Just one small thing... in the conversions I gave you, I said 1tsp=5ml. I should have said ½tsp=2.5ml, as that's the quantity you're using...

J

Yes, it is now more clear what has been done. Now that I have the physicality of it in my brain, I am now wondering about ingredients:

Is mixed herbs a seasoning mix that is UK- or brand- specific, or is it a season-to-taste instruction? Perhaps it is like a bouquet garni? I know in California supermarkets you can get premixed herbs as 'Italian Seasoning' that has rosemary basil and oregano, in our South you can get gumbo file', and from Brazil you can order Churrasco.

One can also get mince here with specified levels of fat in it. (More than 33% is illegal.) If I choose a 7% or 4% fat option, there won't be much of any pour-off. Will the recipe come out unsatisfactory?