A comment of Liz's a while back made me want that ultimate comfort food beloved of the British, Shepherd's Pie. For a long time, I have used Madhur Jaffrey's Anglo - Indian version [from Madhur Jaffrey's Cook Book, a general collection rather than a specifically Indian one] but when I make it here I have to modify it further: I can't get minced lamb, so I use beef and, as this makes the dish "heavier" I use half the quantity of meat given in the recipe. Then I "cheat" by using the ready-grilled aubergines in oil which are sold here rather than grilling them myself. [You can get these in some delicatessens in Britain and you used to be able to buy them at one stall in Cardiff Market, but I have not found the quality good by the time the packs arrive in Britain.] MJ does not tell you to peel the tomatoes and I don't, but I rather think Sicilians would. She does, however, tell you to peel the potatoes but that is something I rarely do, so I don't for this dish. [Serving unpeeled potatoes to the Sicilians results in their spending the whole meal trying to get the cooked skin off, though, so I do sometimes concede when entertaining.] I used red chilli peppers instead of green ones and this time, I didn't have any thyme to sprinkle on so I used oregano. Above you see the layers of aubergine and tomatoes, the potatoes laid on top of these and the meat [which has been fried with the spices] ready to go in the oven and the finished dish - true fusion-comfort-food!
