The Elements Of A Proper Pie And Mash Shoppe

 No, I don't need the loo, I have enough dosh, and my car is just fine, thank you (....other meanings of pie and mash).  Pie and mash, a staple of a walk down memory lane Cockney style.  A mince pie served with potato mash plastered on the side of the plate and dosed with liquor, a sort of parsley gravy.

  Many times it would be presented with jellied eels.  However, eels are hard to come by in Colorado.  The numbers of eels dwindled on the Thames, as well.  They were over-fished, just as well as they were living, in the time of Vicky, in polluted waters.

Liquor was once made by using eel cooking water, that is how it came by the name liquor, like any liquid from seafood.  If you happen to have eel cooking water, by all means use it instead of chicken stock.  This is the recipe for liquor This is the recipe for liquor listed on the Beeb's cooking website:

 50g/2oz butter, 50g/2oz cornflour, 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock, generous bunch parsley, leaves only, chopped, 1-2 garlic cloves, roasted and puréed, to taste.

For the parsley liquor, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and whisk in the cornflour to make a paste. Gradually stir in the stock, bring to a simmer, then stir in the parsley and garlic and stir until thickened and smooth. 

Chilli vinegar!

A little kicked up from the days of plain malt vinegar.  However, both are traditional choices to spatter on your whole plate.  My version is simple to put together, I got my own clean jar and funneled in the liquid from pepperoncinis. Then, squeeze a few pepperoncinis in, then added my own chillis from my garden, and Bob's your uncle, your own splashy mix.

An easy down to earth meal for the rest of us....Here is pie and mash shoppes in pictures. 

The pie bit can consist of many different fillings, but the most common is beef mince.  A recipe I am saving for later.....Wait for it.....
 
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