SPICY LAMB AND VEGETABLE PIES
During our peak social isolation earlier in the year, we were having a drink with friends via Zoom and lamenting the lack of sharing meals together. I enthusiastically and a little rashly offered to make dinner for, and it deliver to, our friends so we could share it via Zoom.
I had a lamb shoulder in the freezer and, wanting to keep out of shops and Coronavirus’s way, I decided to use only what was in the house. Then Lamb and Vegetable Pies popped into mind.
I basically sliced and diced bits and pieces of anything and everything I had in the vegetable crisper, added some delicious Sri Lankan curry powder I had roasted and ground a few weeks before, placed the lamb shoulder on top and whacked it in the oven for three or four hours.
I did have some cream cheese in the fridge (I sound very well stocked) and so I used our Revenge Gluten-free Cream Cheese Pastry recipe. It’s a deliciously rich pastry and made the perfect tops for the pies.
But pies aren’t the only vehicle for using our lamb filling. Try shredding the lamb instead of cubing it and you’ll have a delicious sauce for gluten-free pasta. Or serve it over runny polenta for a warming and hearty winter dish. Top it with creamy mashed potato for a good old Shepherd’s Pie and any left overs could be mixed with some lovely homemade stock to make a quick and nutritious soup.
Happy cooking and sharing!
Rosie
SPICY LAMB AND VEGETABLE PIES
Serves 8
Start this dish the day before to allow for refrigeration.
Pastry
1.5 quantities Revenge Gluten-free Cream Cheese Pastry
Place the pastry in the fridge until ready to roll out. It will keep in the fridge for a few days if you prefer to make it ahead.
Filling
1 brown onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 leek, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 carrots, cut into 2.5cm chunks
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 large zucchini, finely chopped
2 long red chillies, one seeded, both finely chopped
¼ bunch cavolo nero, spines removed, finely chopped
5 very ripe tomatoes, chopped
3 teaspoons Sri Lankan meat curry powder (see below) (or any good quality curry powder)
1.5 kg lamb shoulder (bone in)
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper or to taste
1 cup frozen peas
1 egg, whisked
Preheat oven to 130°C. Have at the ready a baking dish, preferably with a tightly fitting cover, deep enough to accommodate the vegetables and the lamb shoulder.
Combine the vegetables, tomatoes and curry powder (reserving the peas) over the base of the baking dish. Place the lamb shoulder on top.
Place a piece of baking paper directly on top of the meat then cover either with a tightly fitting lid or foil and bake for 3-4 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone, turning the lamb shoulder once during the cooking period.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little.
Remove the lamb shoulder to a plate. Strain the vegetables, without pressing down on them, reserving both the vegetables and the juices separately. Place the juices in the fridge to allow the fat to rise to the top and solidify.
Remove the lamb meat from the bone and cut into 2 cm chunks, discarding any very fatty or sinewy bits.
Combine with the vegetables, add the peas, season to taste and refrigerate until very cold.
To Assemble
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Remove and discard the solidified layer of fat which will have formed on top of the reserved, refrigerated juices. Place the juices in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer until reduced by half. Allow to cool. Combine the juices with the lamb and vegetable mix. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Fill 8 x 350ml capacity, individual, oven-proof pie dishes with the lamb mixture.
In between two pieces of baking paper roll out the pastry to ½ cm thick, sprinkling the pastry with gluten-free flour if necessary. Cut out 8 shapes 1cm larger that the tops of the pie dishes. Return to the fridge from time to time if the pastry becomes too soft to work with. Any left over pastry can be frozen for a future use.
Using a small biscuit cutter, cut an air hole from the centre of each pastry shape. Brush the underneath side of each pastry shape with the whisked egg and place on top of the pie dishes, pressing down lightly around the rim. Squeeze the overhanging pastry in between your thumb and index finger to create a seal and an attractive edge.
Brush with beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is hot.
Serve immediately with accompaniments of your choice.
PETER KURUVITA’S SRI LANKAN MEAT CURRY POWDER
2 dried red chillies
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1.5 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
1 clove
1 cm piece cinnamon stick
1.5 cm piece pandanus leaf (optional)
1.5 cm piece lemongrass, bruised with the back of a knife
1 sprig fresh curry leaves
¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
Pinch turmeric
Place all ingredients except the turmeric in a heavy-based frying pan and dry roast over a low heat for 7-10 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from the heat, stir in the turmeric and cool.
Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the spices until a fine powder forms. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, for up to 1 year.