Lamb and Peas with Cheesy Topping

I was sent this delicious recipe by Sarah Bailey as an entry into the Extra Veg monthly blog challenge.  As Sarah doesn't have a blog I am publishing this recipe on her behalf.

Lamb and Peas with Cheesy Topping 

Serves 2

I would normally use 200g of meat for two people in this kind of recipe, but I decided to cut the meat back to 150g and add 100g of peas in its place. 

The peas in the photograph have been given a quick whizz in a small processor, but they could have been crushed with a fork just as successfully. I don’t think the dish would have been as good if the peas had been left whole, a slightly pasty kind of mixture blends in well - leaving them whole would be an option though.

I used defrosted frozen peas, but tender fresh raw peas would do very nicely, there is no need to pre-cook them.

We ate this dish for our main meal with some new potatoes and broccoli and agreed that we didn’t miss the 50g of meat that I had taken out and substituted with peas. I have to say though, that 50g of peas wouldn’t really have been enough so it wasn’t a weight for weight swap.

150g minced lamb
1 onion
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 mushrooms, quartered
2 tbsps tomato purée
1 tsp vegetable stock powder
1 tbsp flour
100g peas
3 or 4 leaves of mint
1 x 200g carton crème fraîche
30g cheese, finely grated

Brown the lamb in a pan with the onion and garlic, there will be no need to add oil, minced lamb is always a bit fatty.

Add the mushrooms, tomato purée and vegetable stock powder.  Cook for about five more minutes.  Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine, continue to cook for about two minutes stirring from time to time.

Gradually pour over half a mug of hot water into the meat mixture and stir carefully, the liquid will thicken to form a sauce.  Cook this mixture out for a few more minutes.  Put the peas and mint leaves into a small processor and give them a quick whizz, alternatively chop the mint finely and crush it with the peas using a fork.

Put half of the meat mixture into a casserole dish.  Spread the crushed peas over the meat in the dish.  Cover with the remaining meat mixture – it is important to make sure the meat is really hot at this stage, because the peas are cold.  Tip the crème fraîche into a bowl and stir in the grated cheese.  Spread this mixture over the meat and brown under a grill.

I will be entering this recipe into the Extra Veg blog challenge linky, hosted this month by Jen's Food.