Travel world of shepherd’s pies at senior center

Come for Monday Munch at the Charlotte Senior Center and enjoy food from around the globe.

Cottage pie, also known as shepherd’s pie, is a savory dish of cooked minced or ground meat topped with mashed potatoes and baked.

Wikipedia lists how this dish is known in other countries:

Empadão: Portugal. Meat, often veal, stewed in a tomato-based gravy and layered several times between mashed potatoes. Poultry or fish is sometimes used instead of meat.

Escondidinho: Brazil. The name, indicating “hidden,” describes the way sun-dried meat is covered with a layer of manioc purée. The dish often includes cheese and chicken; cod is sometimes used instead of beef.

Pastel de carne: Uruguay. Sliced hard-boiled eggs are added to cottage pie.

Pastel de papes: Argentina, Chile. Similar to cottage pie, may also contain peppers.

Pastel tutup: Indonesia. Made with any of several meats, with vegetables such as carrots and green peas and eggs.

Pate Chinois: Canada. A bottom layer of beef, a middle layer of creamed sweetcorn, topped with mashed potato.

Shepherdless pie: a vegetarian version.

Although it’s unlikely you’ll see the busy volunteer cooks dancing, the mashed potato dance has been around since the 1950s.

Coleslaw comes from the Dutch term koolsla, meaning “cabbage salad.”

Sherbet finds its origins in Turkish and Persian words that trace back to the Arabic word sharba, meaning “drink.”

Here’s your chance. In 2003, in Anzola dell’Emilia, near Bologna, Italy, Gelato University was established, with the aim of teaching students from around the world how to make gelato ice-cream, a second cousin to sherbet. Among many online offerings, an upcoming course offers instruction in the best teas to use in gelato recipes.

Monday, April 24
Register for Thursday’s Grab-&-Go Meal
Register by email or 802-425-6345.

Monday Munch
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. or until the food is gone
Cottage pie, cole slaw, dinner rolls and rainbow sherbet.

Thursday, April 27
Grab-&-Go Meal Pickup time 10-11 a.m.
Chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes, sliced carrots with parsley, Texas toast with butter, pumpkin custard with cream and milk. You can find out all about Texas toast at Wikipedia.

Monday, May 1
Monday Munch
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
At press time, the volunteer cooks are still planning for a happy May Day. For a menu update, go to the senior center website.

Thursday, May 4
Grab-&-Go Meal Pickup time 10-11 a.m.
Chicken with Marsala sauce with mushrooms, mashed potatoes, carrots, wheat bread with butter, blueberries and strawberries in yogurt and milk.

Thursday Grab-&-Go Meals are provided by Age Well. As with all meals at the senior center, a donation of $5 is suggested but not required. Pay what you can, when you can.