One of my brothers has been complaining that the food I have been making lately is not up to his standards. He likes his food to be beige, maybe with a bit of brown, simple and hearty. I made this with him in mind and he said I redeemed myself. It has the same basic flavors as cottage pie, which is shepherd’s pie with beef instead of lamb, but it is easier to throw together. The bruschetta is a lighter take on the classic, with the added vitamins A, B, and C and calcium and magnesium that eggplant offers. Make sure to use a stainless steel knife to cut the eggplant, otherwise it will discolor quickly.
Eggplant Bruschetta with Deconstructed Guinness Cottage Pie
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS:
- Eggplant bruschetta
- 1 eggplant sliced thickly
- 2 medium tomatoes deseeded and chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1½ tsp dried italian herbs
- 1 garlic clove minced
- sea salt and pepper to sprinkle
- Deconstructed Guinness Cottage Pie
- 6 medium yellow potatoes diced (about 6 cups)
- 1½ cups Guinness (about 1 can)
- 1¼ kilogram extra lean ground beef
- 2 cups white mushrooms halved
- 2 cups carrots sliced thickly
- ¼ cup leek sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free organic tamari
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar (or palm or brown)
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
- Bruschetta
- For the bruschetta topping, add together the tomato, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, garlic and herbs and set aside to marinade. Heat up the grill and brush each side of the eggplant slices with the balsamic vinegar and second tablespoon of olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Place on the grill for 6 minutes then flip and spoon the tomato mixture on top. Leave for 6-7 minutes and serve hot.
- Deconstructed Guinness Cottage Pie
- Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water for 10 minutes then drain and set aside. Heat up a large skillet on high and brown the ground beef along with the leek, garlic, paprika, rosemary and thyme. Once cooked remove it all from the skillet and set aside in a bowl. Put the potatoes in the skillet and sautée for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally so that they brown nicely but do not burn. If you used fattier beef then there will be more fat left in the pan and you will not need any extra oil, if you used extra lean add in the olive oil as required. Now add in the mushrooms and carrots and sautée for 5 more minutes. Push all the vegetables out of the middle of the skillet so you have a little circular hole and mix together the tomato paste and tamari so that there are no chunks of tomato paste. Add the beef back and pour in the Guinness and sugar, then stir to combine everything evenly. Cover and reduce to medium high heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the salt and serve hot.
