Earlier this week, I reviewed Pieminister, a book by two English men who have started a most successful pie business. In Great Britain pie is not just dessert. No, pie is everywhere and can be enjoyed every meal of the day. Savory pie, wonderful savory pie ideas, abound in Pieminister. Here is a traditional Easter pie using lamb, a hefty dish you just might want to use this coming Sunday for your Easter dinner. It has lamb, of course, but is filled with so many other ingredients: onion, celery, garlic, wine, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, anchovy, artichokes, tomatoes, and capers. There is barely room for the lamb, but I’m sure you will fit it in. This is a great example of British pie excellence, luxuriously combining many flavors into one grand dish topped with puff pastry.
Easter Lamb Pie
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 celery sticks, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 600 grams shoulder of lamb, diced
- 1 glass of white wine
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 600 milliliters chicken or lamb stock
- 2 bay leaves
- Small bunch of rosemary, leaves picked off and chopped
- Small bunch of thyme, leaves picked off and chopped
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 4-6 anchovy fillets, to taste
- 200 gram jar of artichokes, drained and roughly chopped
- 150 grams cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 tablespoons baby capers
- 500 grams puff pastry
- One free range egg, lightly beaten, to glaze
- Sea salt and black pepper
Preparation:
Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion, celery and garlic and cook gently for 5 to 10 minutes, until just starting to color. Raise the heat a little, add the meat and cook until sealed all over. Don’t let it color too much. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half. Stir in the flour, then gradually stir in the stock, herbs, lemon zest and anchovies and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook gently for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until the meat is very tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the artichokes, tomatoes and capers. Check the seasoning, then transfer the mixture to a pie dish and leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 3 mm thick and use to cover the pie trimming off the excess. Brush with the beaten egg and make a couple of small holes in the center to let out steam. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. This pie goes well with minted new potatoes and fresh spring veggies, washed down with a glass of chilled rose.
Source: Pieminister: A Pie for All Seasons by Tristan Hogg and Jon Simon [Bantam, 2011]