Kathryn prepares some of her favorite dishes from Britan, Ireland, and Scotland.

SHEPHERD'S PIE

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Main Dish, Side Dish
Cuisine: British, Comfort Foods, Irish, Scottish
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

Topping

  • 1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes peeled, diced
  • 3/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
  • 3 Tbsp reduced fat sour cream
  • salt and pepper To taste
  • 1 tsp Paprika

Filling

  • 1 lb Lean Ground Lamb
  • 1 tsp Oil
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 celery stalk chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic diced
  • 8 oz Mushrooms diced
  • 10 oz frozen mixed vegetables (carrots corn, peas, green beans,) or use fresh
  • 1 cup fat-free beef broth
  • 2 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tbsp Flour
  • 1 tsp rosemary (Dried or fresh)
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves (Dried or fresh)
  • 1 tsp Dried Basil (Optional)
  • kosher salt and pepper Season to Taste
  • kosher salt and pepper

Instructions

Topping

  • Boil potatoes in a medium pot of salted water until cooked and soft.
  • Drain and mash with chicken broth, sour cream, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper, set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 400°F.

Filling

  • In a large sauté pan brown meat over medium to high heat, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste. I drained the liquid off and used a fork to break it up more.
  • When cooked, set aside on a plate.
  • Add the oil, onion, mushrooms, and celery and sauté on medium heat about 5 to 7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
  • Add the flour, frozen or fresh vegetables, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, cooked meat and mix well. Simmer on low about 8-10 minutes.
  • Spread the meat on the bottom of casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with paprika. ( I added a sprinkle of Cheese to the topping)
  • Bake 20 to 25 minutes, then place under the broiler 1 to 2 minutes until the potatoes turn golden.
  • Remove from oven and let it cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

NUTRITION INFORMATION
Serving Size: 1/6th of pie
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 275 calories
Total Fat: 7g
Cholesterol: 45mg
Sodium: 331mg
Carbohydrates: 31g
Fiber: 5g
Sugar: 3g
Protein: 22g

Scottish Red Lentil Soup

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Main Dish, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine: Scottish
Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 carrots sliced
  • 1 celery stalk with leaves chopped
  • 1 small turnip or rutabaga diced into small cubes
  • 1 large onion (or 2 small onions) diced
  • 32 oz Vegetable Stock
  • 8-10 cups water or beef/chicken stock less water/stock for a thicker soup
  • 1 1/3 cups red lentils soaked and rinsed
  • Kosher or Sea Salt to taste
  • Black Pepper freshly ground

Instructions

  • Place the red lentils in a bowl and cover with about an inch of water, set aside;
  • Put the measured water and or Vegetable stock in a large soup pot, with a teaspoon of salt. Bring to boil (skim any scum off that rises to the top) then let it simmer.
  • In a medium frying pan, saute the onion, carrots, celery and turnip/rutabaga in the olive oil for about 6 or 7 minutes on medium heat. Remove from the heat.
  • Add the red lentils and the sautéed vegetables, and another teaspoon of salt; stir well and let simmer for about 30-45 min or until lentils are tender.
  • Season soup with salt to taste and freshly ground pepper.

Banger's and Mash

Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Irish

Ingredients

Bangers

  • 4 Italian sweet sausages
  • 1 cup sliced Red or Yellow Sweet Onion
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp No salt Butter
  • 1/2 cup Salt free Chicken Stock (I used Organic)
  • 2 Tbsp Red Wine – this is optional

Mash

  • 2 cups Cauliflower Cooked and mashed
  • 2 Tbsp heavy cream (you may use a little more for consistency)
  • 1/2 Tbsp Butter
  • 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Bangers

  • Cook sausages in medium saucepan or skillet until they are browned and cooked thoroughly.
  • In the same pan add butter, olive oil, and onions, cook for 3-5m minutes until their lucent.
  • Add Chicken stock and red wine and cook for another 3-4 minutes until reduced. Add Heavy Cream and cook another minute or two. Season with Salt and Pepper.

Mash

  • Cook cauliflower until tender. Mash* and add butter and cheese whip till you have the consistency of Mashed Potatoes. Fold in Cheese. *Add hot cooked cauliflower to a food processor. Add butter and cream and pulse until the consistency of mashed potatoes. Pour into serving bowl and fold in cheese.
    Mash
  • Plate the Sausage and onions and the gravy add ½ cups Mashed Cauliflower to the plate and serve. Garnish with Parsley.

Notes

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories 178
Fat 31 g
Carbohydrates 6g
Protein 15 g

Cranachan Scottish Dessert

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Scottish
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Kathryn Raaker

Ingredients

  • 3.5 oz Irish/Scottish steel cut/pinhead oats (Divided: 1/3 cup and 1/4 cup) Toasted
  • 1/3 cup Scotch whisky (I used Glenfiddich (or use a top quality brand)
  • 2 cups fresh raspberries
  • 3 Tbsp Scotch whisky Divided
  • 3 Tbsp organic raw honey Divided
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 2 cups organic heavy whipping cream it’s important to use good quality whipping cream
  • 4 Whiskey Glasses or Dessert Glasses

Instructions

Overnight Oats

  • The night before you want to make the dessert, toast 1/3 cup (2 oz) of the oats in a cast iron or very heavy pan until very lightly browned- this won’t take long, so keep a close eye, as you don’t want burnt oats. Next, put these oats in a bowl and cover with 1/3 cup (3 oz) of whiskey. Cover and let stand overnight to soak.

Oats and Berries

  • When you are ready to make the Cranachan, toast the second batch (1/4 cup) of oats, exactly the same as you did the first ones. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
  • Now, choose a few choice raspberries to decorate the tops and set them aside.
  • Crush the rest of the raspberries in a bowl, with a spatula or fork, (just a bit, we’re not making jam) 🙂
  • This is the part that is different: sprinkle the raspberries with 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of whisky. Mix well and set aside.
  • Whip the cream until it starts to thicken, then add the other 2 tablespoons of honey, and 2 tablespoons of the whiskey. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Next, gently fold in the whiskey-soaked oats.

Assembly

  • At this point, we are ready to assemble the dessert. I would recommend doing this relatively close to serving time as the dessert will taste better fresh (if possible, don’t make it in the morning to serve for dinner).

Kathryn prepares a recipe using King Prawns similar to a dish she enjoyed while on the Celestyal Crusie to Greece in 2015. She had a wonderful time visiting some of the ports during her seven day cruise. To learn more or to book a vacation, visit Celestyal Cruises.

 

Greek King Prawns

Ingredients

  • 4 King Prawns (about 1/4 lb each)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 cup white onion chopped
  • 1 cup roma tomatoes chopped (about 3-4)
  • 1/2 Tbsp dried Oregano
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Pepper
  • 1 cup Ouzo (White Wine is a good substitute)

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, heat up the oil on a medium-high heat. Add prawns cooking about 4-5 min on first side. Next flip prawns and add onions. When onions are somewhat translucent, add tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper. Lastly, add Ouzo and light with flame to burn off alcohol (about a minute). Serve with sticky white rice and garnish with Rosemary.