Shepherd's pie

I have used the English name for this dish, but the dish itself is a logical invention that could have happened any place where potatoes and mutton are eaten. I occasionally make it to use up leftover Sunday roast.

250 g leftover meat (for this to be a real shepherd’s pie, it should be mutton. If it’s beef, the dish is called Cottage Pie)
25 g butter, margarine or other cooking fat
2 tbs flour
250-300 ml meat broth or gravy
Some left-over mashed potatoes

In case you don’t have left-over mashed potatoes:
750 g cooked potatoes
100-200 ml milk
25 g butter or margarine
Salt and pepper
1 finely chopped onion
Breadcrumbs
Cheese, grated

Make the mashed potatoes, using this method but the above ingredients. Add the onion when the mash is ready to eat. It is also good to add one beaten egg or two beaten egg whites into the mash (I never do this, but it probably makes a better crust).

The meat can be either boiled or roasted, but this does not suit smoked meats.
Grease an oven proof dish and sprinkle in some breadcrumbs. Slice the meat and arrange in the bottom of the dish. Pour the gravy on top. Top with the mashed potatoes and sprinkle with some grated cheese and breadcrumbs.

Bake at about 175°C for 20-30 minutes, or until hot through.

If there is no gravy or sauce, make some gravy with a little broth thickened with a paste of flour and water and a little bit of sauce browning added.

Chunky fish spread:

This is a recipe developed my myself and my mother. Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main dish.


1/2 fillet of cold cooked fish, e.g. cod or haddock (but salmon and trout work as well), cut into small pieces

3-4 cold cooked potatoes, cut into small pieces

1/2 onion or red onion, finely chopped

Mayonnaise to taste

Pepper
Garlic powder


Mix together the mayonnaise and spices and add the rest, blending well. Serve on sweet, dark rye bread.


Note: I also like to add 1/2 a finely chopped red bell pepper to this spread.

Leftover fish salad

150 gr cold cooked fish, preferably salmon or halibut, cut into small pieces
Mayonnaise to taste
6 leaves of green salad
3 tomatoes
6 slices of lemon
Lemon juice
Mustard

Add lemon juice and mustard to the mayonnaise, to taste. Wash the salad leaves and let them drain well, divide the fish pieces evenly onto the leaves and top with mayonnaise, 1/2 a tomato and a slice of lemon.

From 160 fiskréttir by Helga Sigurðardóttir

This is the last recipe from this book (for now, but I may return to it later).

Using up leftover fish: frying

I have already posted two recipes for using leftover fish: fish pancakes and the humble plokkfiskur, which is currently enjoying something of a renaissance. Here is one more leftover fish recipe, and two more will be posted soon.

You will need:
Enough cooked leftover fish and potatoes to serve four people, cut into bite-sized pieces
Cooked vegetables, if desired
100 g butter or tallow
Salt and pepper
Chives or onions, chopped

Heat the butter in a frying pan until it stops foaming. Gently fry the fish and potatoes and onions (if using) in the butter until heated through and slightly browned. Do not scramble the food around in the pan much – the fish pieces should be intact when served. Flavour with salt and pepper to taste, and if you’re using chives, sprinkle them over the dish before serving.

From 160 fiskréttir by Helga Sigurðardóttir

Fish pancakes - Fisklummur

My mother sometimes deliberately cooks more fish than is necessary for one meal, and uses the left-over fish and potatoes to make these pancakes. They are popular with the whole family, and an excellent way of using up leftovers and getting finicky eaters to eat fish.+

This is really more of a guideline than a recipe. It recipe will yield enough pancakes for 2 people.

Take leftover cooked fish pieces (preferably plain poached or steamed fish, about 1/2 a fillet), remove any bones and flake with a fork. Put in a bowl with finely chopped, cooked potatoes (2-3 small ones); one small, finely chopped onion; and garlic to taste.

Stir in some flour (approx. 3 tbs in a recipe for two), and 1 tbs potato starch or cornflour. Flavour with salt and your favourite fish spice mix . Add one beaten egg. Thin with milk to the consistency of thin porridge. Fry in a medium hot skillet until golden and serve with potatoes, melted butter, and tomato wedges on the side.

Fish stew (leftover fish in white sauce) - Plokkfiskur

I recently dined at an upscale restaurant in Reykjavík, Lækjarbrekka. Due to its location, in the very heart of the old town, it caters to many tourists and some of the menu items are quintessentially Icelandic. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that good old leftover food, plokkfiskur, on the menu. It's served au gratin with the classic accompaniment of rye bread and potatoes on the side.

There are jokes about plokkfiskur - it can be either a delicacy or a disaster. During the old days, when fish was served (in some homes) five days a week, this was the standard way of using up leftovers. If you didn't finish the fish at lunch, this was what you could expect to be served for dinner.

about 700 g cooked fish
about 500 g cooked potatoes
50 g margarine or butter
50 g flour
750 ml milk
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 to 1 medium sized onion, optional

Any kind of cooked fish can be used, but to make this authentic, use cod, salt cod, haddock, or halibut.
Remove all skin and bones from the fish and flake with a fork. Cut the potatoes into small pieces.

Now make white sauce: Melt the margarine/butter over medium heat. Stir the flour into it, until smooth and thick. Continue stirring and add a small amount of milk. When the mixture boils, add more milk. Repeat this process until all the milk is used up. When the sauce is ready, add the fish and potatoes and warm through.
Most cooks add some onion to get more flavour. Chop it finely and fry it until it is soft but not browned and cook along with the sauce.

Very good with buttered rye or pumpernickel bread on the side.

Biximatur

When I went to sixth-form college (the school stage between elementary school and university) I lived in a dormitory and ate all my meals in the school cafeteria. Whenever the cook had amassed enough leftover meat, we would be served "biximatur", a medley of fried meat leftovers with potatoes and onions. This can be quite good, or it can be a disaster. Serves 5.

250 g cooked meat, mixed or not. Can be anything: beef, mutton, pork, horse, sausage, turkey, chicken or game.
500 gr. cooked potatoes
1 large onion
100 gr. margarine or butter, or substitute with cooking oil
1 tsp salt dash pepper

Cut the meat and potatoes into small cubes. Peel and slice the onions. Fry the onion slices in the margarine on a frying pan until they take on a golden colour. Add the meat and potatoes and fry until heated through and starting to brown. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with fried egg and ketchup (optional), and a fresh salad.

Recipe taken from Helga Sigurðardóttir's "Matur & Drykkur", Mál og Menning, Reykjavík, 1986 (1947).