Murder to a Jazz Beat
Jessica learns how to make gumbo right at the beginning of this episode, so why not get a big pot of that on the go to accompany the show? A cab driver is chatting away to his famous passenger and tells her that the secret is to use stale beer to make the fish stock.
I am sure that Jessica agrees wholeheartedly with Lafayette's pronouncement that, "I always say that whatever time a man's got, spendin' it with good food, good friends, good music and good conversation, why, a man can't die no ways but happy."
Jessica is visiting New Orleans to appear on a TV show,
and her friend Jonathan is excited to show her the city's sights, sounds, smells, and tastes. This trip, of course, will involve a lot of music, and J.B. fits right into the jazz scene.
It's great to see her swaying away and tapping her heels to the beat. She's such a groover.
It's a real shame that I don't have any recipes in my collection for any of Angela Lansbury's co-stars in this episode. However, it provides me with the opportunity to feature the first favourite dish of our beloved heroine. There will be more to come, so stay tuned!
When away from her beloved Maine, promoting her books, J.B. always enjoys sampling the local cuisine of the places she travels to. But perhaps the friends she makes in New Orleans would enjoy something traditional from Angela Lansbury's ancestral part of the world? Cottage Pie is a traditional British dish, and here's Dame Angela's very own recipe.
Angela Lansbury's Cottage Pie
4 lbs lean ground beef
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided use)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 carrots, finely chopped
3 medium leeks, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
¾ cup chicken broth
1 cup tomato puree
Salt and pepper to taste
1½ cups green peas
8 medium potato, peeled
½ cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Preheat oven to 350℉.
In a large frying pan over a high heat, sauté the ground beef, breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon, until it loses its raw appearance. Drain and set aside.
In a large pot over a low heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onions, carrots, leeks, and celery and cook, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not brown. Stir in the beef, chicken broth, and tomato purée. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour the mixture into a 17x11x2-inch baking dish and bake for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove form the oven and stir in the peas.
Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in lightly salted water for 20 minutes, or until soft. Mash the potatoes or press them through a food mill. Stir in the milk and cream to get a creamy consistency. Stir in the remaining butter and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the meat. Using a fork, draw a crisscross pattern on top of the mashed potatoes. Bake in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until the cottage pie is golden and bubbly. Serve Immediately
Serves 8
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Next week on Murder, She Cooked, a recipe from the kitchen of Lynda Day George.
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If you like Columbo, you might like my Cooking With Columbo cookbook
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Cheerio for now, tune in for another episode next week!
