Parsnip-topped Italian Villa Pie

Name: Parsnip-topped Italian Villa Pie
Ingredients: 6 rounded teaspoons tomato pesto; 900 g/2 lb minced pork; 7.5 cm/3 in sprig fresh rosemary; 2 rounded tablespoons tomato purée; 1 large egg; 225 g/8 oz fresh spinach; salt; freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling; 225 g/8 oz potatoes; 550 g/1¼ lb parsnips; 6 tablespoons olive oil; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; black pepper

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Josceline Dimbleby’s Complete Cookbook

By Josceline Dimbleby

Published 1997

About

So called because it is a far-flung variation of a cottage pie with Italian influences. It tastes so good that it can be served either for a family lunch or at an informal dinner party and needs only a green salad as an accompaniment. The pie has a moistening layer of spinach between the topping and the minced pork.

Ingredients

550 g/1¼ lb parsnips
225 g/8

Lunch
Pie
Dinner
Gluten-free

Method

Peel the parsnips if necessary. Peel the potatoes. Chop both up roughly, cutting the potatoes quite a lot smaller than the parsnips. Boil in salted water until they are both soft. Drain and mash thoroughly in a bowl, adding the ground cumin and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, plus salt and black pep