Credit crunch cooking

I am right now officially unemployed (well, at least until May anyway), and apparently there is a global economic downturn right now, so some frugal cooking today. Actually, I had a lot of fun making a shepherd's pie out of the scraps of my fridge today, it challenged my cooking, and I tried to have everything 'homemade'. The pies are sitting at the counter cooling right now, so this is a very 'live' blog indeedy.

I cooked a roast leg of lamb the other day, and somehow we didn't eat it all, and yesterday, I cooked some pan-fried cod with aioli and mash, so deliberately made too much mash. There is a big mash potato fight right now amongst my London foodie community. My mash secret is to add creme fraiche, copious amounts of it, and to use a masher, none of those ricer things. Dave always taught me to do shepherd's pie with Bisto (yes, shocking for a foodie, but I must say it is essential), but I've run out today, so it's a little more challenging...

Leftovers shepherd's pie (serves 1 hungry Connie at lunchtime, with potential leftovers for her brother later on)
Half an onion, sliced
Half a carrot, finely chopped
Stalk of celery, finely chopped
Frozen peas
Slosh of red wine (I used rioja today)
Worcester sauce
Cornflour
Leftover roast lamb
Leftover mash

1. Fry the onions very slowly in some butter until it's all nice and soft and slightly burnt around the edges - minimum 15 minutes! Then add the carrot and celery and fry for a further 5 mins
2. Add the slosh of wine (be generous!), and mix about a teaspoon of cornflour with water and add that too. Slosh in some worcester sauce. Simmer until sauce starts to thicken
3. Add frozen peas, and simmer until the meat starts to break down a little
4. Assemble into pies in cute little ramekins

And here they are, sponsored by my lovely Le Creuset ramekins!

I'm tucking into one now - very very very nice. And all for free (kind of).

I also read today about this little dining club where this bloke in East London opens up his house to strangers and cooks for them every Wednesday, in return for a £10 donation. Check his place out on Facebook, it's called Secret Ingredient. It's such a lovely idea, I shall suggest something similar to Eugene for Uncle B's dining club I think...