Spiced Lamb Hand Pies Food

SPICED LAMB HAND PIES

Steps:

• Bring vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan. Add currants; set aside.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over mediumhigh. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomato paste, cumin, ginger, cardamom, and turmeric and cook until fragrant and sticky, about 1 minute. Add lamb and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer. Stir in peas; cook until bright green, about 5 minutes. Drain reserved currants and add to lamb along with parsley. Let cool.
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Working with one at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 12" squares. Cut each into 4 squares; transfer to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Spoon filling onto one side of squares, leaving 1/2" border. Brush edges with egg and fold dough over filling. Press to seal; crimp with a fork. Cut a few vents in tops; brush with egg.
• Bake until pies are golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Do ahead: Filling can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

SPICED LAMB PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° F and butter a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
• In a large non-stick skillet cook lamb or beef in 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and drain meat in sieve set over a large bowl, reserving any juices. Add water and bread to juices and let stand 10 minutes. Chop onions and in a skillet cook in butter and remaining tablespoon oil over moderate heat, stirring until softened.
• In another large bowl combine meat, onion, and all remaining ingredients except bread mixture, lime leaves, eggs, and milk. Squeeze liquid from bread and break into small pieces, dropping into meat mixture. Toss together bread and meat and spread evenly in baking dish. Roll lime leaves into spikes and insert, evenly spaced, in several places into mixture. (Bobotie may be made up to this point one day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring bobotie to room temperature before proceeding.)
• Bake bobotie in middle of oven 30 minutes. In a small bowl whisk together eggs and milk until just combined and pour over bobotie. Bake bobotie until custard is set, about 5 minutes more.
• Cut bobotie into squares or wedges and serve with rice chutney.
• Available at Southeast Asian markets and by mail order from Adriana's Caravan, (800) 316-0820, or Uwajimaya, (800) 889-1928.

GREEK LAMB PIE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400°F.
• Lightly grease a 8 1/2 in springform pan.
• Fry the mince and onion in a dry nonstick pan until golden.
• Add the garlic, tomatoes, mint, nutmeg and seasoning.
• Bring to the boil, and simmer, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Wash the spinach and remove any tough stalks, then cook the leaves in only the water clinging to them for about 2 minutes.
• Drain the leaves well and then mix through the meat mixture.
• I sometimes add 1/4 lb of crumbled feta at this stage.
• Lightly brush each sheet of phyllo pastry with oil and lay in overlapping layers in the tin, leaving enough over hanging to wrap over the top.
• Spoon the meat and spinach mix in then wrap the pastry over to enclose.
• Scrunch up any remaining pastry into balls, and place over the top of the pie.
• Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and then bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden.
• I like to let this cool a little, and serve it with a green salad.

SUMAC-SPICED LAMB PIDES

Steps:

• First make the dough. In a large bowl, mix the flour, yeast, sugar, olive oil, a pinch of salt and 300ml warm water. Bring together with your hands or in a tabletop mixer, then knead for 10 mins by hand or 5 mins in a mixer, until soft and elastic. Put the dough in a clean, oiled bowl, cover with a sheet of oiled cling film and leave to rise for 2 hrs or until doubled in size. You can also pop the dough in the fridge and leave to rise overnight. (Take out of the fridge and leave for 1-2 hrs to bring back to room temperature to use.)
• For the topping. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add onion and cook for a few mins until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 min more. Add the lamb, increase the heat and fry until starting to brown, about 8 mins. Sprinkle in spices and stir for 1 min, then add purée, tomatoes, pomegranate molasses and seasoning, along with 50ml water. Simmer for 10 mins, stirring now and then - the mince should be sticky rather than saucy. Leave to cool.
• Dust 2 large baking sheets and the work surface with semolina. Knock any air bubbles out of the dough, then tip onto work surface and divide into 4. Working with 1 piece at a time - keeping remaining dough covered with the oiled cling film - roll into a thin oval shape, roughly 30cm long. Place the rolled dough on baking sheets. Divide mince mixture between the 4 pides, leaving a 1cm border around the edges. Roll the edges over the filling and pinch the ends together to form a pointy boat shape. Cover with the oiled cling film and leave to prove for 20 mins.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Uncover pides and brush the edges with a little oil. Sprinkle the feta, sesame seeds and a good pinch of sumac over each pide and bake for 15 mins until puffed up and golden. Serve with salad and pickled Turkish chillies, if you like.