The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook (45 page)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon orange juice

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon allspice

3 large carrots, sliced

3 ribs celery, chopped

3 tablespoons butter

1 medium turnip, peeled

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1. In a large skillet, brown meat in hot vegetable oil.
   
2. Boil both sets of potatoes until soft. Set aside.
   
3. In a large pot, add browned steak, beef broth, water, Worcestershire sauce, onion, garlic, bay leaves, salt, brown and white sugars, pepper, lemon juice, orange juice, oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper, and allspice. Cover and simmer for 90 minutes. Remove bay leaves and garlic cloves. Add carrots, celery, and cooked potatoes. Cover and cook for 45 minutes. Remove 2 cups hot liquid to thicken gravy.
   
4. In a medium-sized skillet, melt butter. Sauté turnips in butter until crusty and brown. Add turnips to stew.
   
5. In a separate bowl, combine
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₄
   cup of water with the cornstarch until smooth. Mix with a little hot liquid and return mixture to pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until bubbling. Serve by ladling into bowls.
   

For extra spice, try adding 2 teaspoons of garlic salt or a packet of dry onion soup.

While this might not be a familiar dish to the aristocrats of Downton Abbey, all the staff would know this dish all too well — and much to their dismay. Traditionally, Shepherd’s Pie would be made with leftover roast lamb that has been put through a mincer. However, this recipe suggests regular ground sheep or ground beef. On an off day, Mrs. Patmore would cook this dish since it was quite an easy way to feed a large number of people.

2 pounds ground sheep or ground beef

3–4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper

¹
⁄
₂
cup mushrooms, sliced

4 tablespoons (
¹
⁄
₂
stick) unsalted butter

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1 (9-inch) unbaked pastry crust

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
   
2. Sauté ground meat in 3 tablespoons olive oil until cooked through and browned. Transfer meat to baking dish. Add 1 more tablespoon of oil to pan if needed. Sauté garlic, onion, red pepper, and mushrooms until tender, about 4–5 minutes. Spoon over meat in baking dish.
   
3. Pour off excess oil from pan. Melt butter and add flour to form a roux. Cook for 3–4 minutes over medium-high heat. Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring to keep smooth. Cook until bubbly and slightly thickened.
   
4. Remove sauce from heat and add Worcestershire sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over meat and vegetables.
   
5. Roll out pastry crust to fit over casserole dish. Crimp edges to seal. Prick with a fork to allow steam to escape. Bake until crust is well browned, about 25–30 minutes. Serve hot.
   

This dish would be served frequently at the prison that Mr. Bates would find himself in at the end of Season 2. His Shepherd’s Pie, however, would not be nearly as delicious as this dish.

A take on Shepherd’s Pie (see recipe in this chapter), this Pork Pie would be a frequent dinner offering for the staff as it is both filling and relatively inexpensive to make. Mrs. Patmore would be likely to serve this often during the war, when the kitchen is particularly sensitive to the lack of ready ingredients.

1
¹
⁄
₂
pounds lean ground pork

1 pound ground hamburger

1 large onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground cloves

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 bay leaf

3 cups water

4 Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 (15-ounce) packages refrigerated pie crusts

1. In a large saucepan, mix together the pork, hamburger, onion, celery, cloves, cinnamon, salt, bay leaf, and water. Simmer over medium-low heat for 3
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₂
   hours or until the water has fully evaporated. Discard bay leaf, then remove mixture from heat.
   
2. Near the end of those three hours, place the potatoes in a separate saucepan and cover with water. Bring mixture to a boil, cooking until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, then mash potatoes. When the meat mixture is ready, stir in mashed potatoes until meat and potatoes are evenly blended.
   
3. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two 9-inch pie plates with bottom crusts. Spoon equal amounts of meat-and-potato mixture into each crust. Cover with top crusts and seal edges.
   
4. Bake pies until crusts are golden brown, approximately 45 minutes.
   

If Mrs. Patmore was feeling particularly proud of her pork pie, she could enter a pork pie competition in Yorkshire for the best pork pie. That said, she would have to be familiar with their colloquialism, as in Yorkshire pork pies are known as “growlers.” Considering the way Mrs. Patmore can growl at Daisy, she shouldn’t have any problem with this!

There would most certainly be Welshmen amongst Downton Abbey’s staff, and they would likely request this Welsh entrée for dinner on St. David’s Day — a holiday honoring St. David, the patron saint of Wales, and Welsh heritage — every March 1. This dish incorporates the national emblem of Wales — leeks — and the Welsh Caerphilly cheese.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, sliced

2 teaspoons sugar

4 chicken thighs, chopped

2 cups sliced leeks, white parts only

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup dry white wine

1
¹
⁄
₂
cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

¹
⁄
₂
cup prunes, halved

²
⁄
₃
cup Caerphilly cheese, crumbled

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped tarragon

1 pound ready-rolled puff pastry

1 large egg yolk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
   
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion, garlic, and sugar, and sauté until onions are translucent and garlic starts to color, about 10–15 minutes.
   
3. Add chicken pieces to onions and garlic, and cook for an additional 5–7 minutes until chicken is seared.
   
4. Stir in leeks and flour, stirring constantly until ingredients are well combined. Slowly add wine and chicken stock to mix, stirring until sauce has thickened.
   
5. Add in cream and the mustard, then salt and black pepper to taste.
   
6. Remove from heat, then stir in prunes, cheese, parsley, and tarragon.
   
7. Evenly distribute pie filling into a medium-sized pie dish.
   
8. In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons cream and the egg yolk. Brush around edge of pie dish, then cover filling with puff pastry and cut around the sides with a knife. Brush remaining egg wash over pie. Poke holes all over pastry top to let out steam, then bake in preheated oven for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown.
   

Welsh people would also celebrate St. David’s Day by wearing a daffodil or leek lapel pin. Perhaps Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson might even allow them to hang a flag of St. David, the patron saint of Wales, in their rooms for the holiday.