Stewed carrots

Fernandez’s Palayok: Philippine Food Time, On Site, in the Pot. Stewed carrots Isidro Labrador on May 15, celebrated in Lucban, Quezon by decorating the houses with food.

In Madrid, Spain, the same feast is celebrated on the same day, and San Isidro Labrador is also the patron saint of Madrid. Shepherd’s pie, cottage pie, or in its French version hachis Parmentier is a savoury dish of cooked minced meat topped with mashed potato and baked. The meat used may be either previously cooked or freshly minced. The usual meats are beef or lamb. The term was in use by 1791.

Parson Woodforde mentions “Cottage-Pye” in his diary entry for 29 August 1791, and several times thereafter. He records that the meat was veal but he does not say what the topping was. According to the American Merriam-Webster dictionary the first known use of the term was in 1854. In British usage in the 1850s the term referred to a Scottish dish that contained a mutton and diced potato filling inside a pastry crust. More recently “shepherd’s pie” has generally been used for a potato-topped dish of minced lamb. The dish is named after Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, who popularised the potato in French cuisine in the late 18th century. It is documented from the end of the 19th century.