There are so many things you can make with lamb shoulder, but one of our favourites are this lamb and rosemary pies.
Ingredients
Filling
60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
850 g finely chopped lamb shoulder
2 tbsp plain flour
250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine
2 large tomatoes, peeled, chopped
3 tsp rosemary leaves, chopped
tomato sauce or relish, to serve
Pastry
350 g plain flour, chilled
200 g chilled butter, chopped
150 g thick Greek-style yoghurt, chilled
50 ml thickened cream, chilled
Method
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until quite soft. Add garlic, carrots and celery, and cook for a further 4 minutes or until softened. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve the pan.
- Dust lamb with the flour. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to the reserved pan over high heat and cook lamb, in 2 batches, for 4 minutes or until starting to brown on all sides. Return lamb and vegetables to the pan with wine and tomatoes, and bring to the boil, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to ensure the lovely stuck-on bits get cooked into the sauce.
- Add 2 tsp rosemary, 250 ml water and season with salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Add more water if necessary. Set aside to cool to avoid the filling seeping through the pastry.
- Meanwhile, to make the yoghurt cream pastry, place the flour and ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Add butter and rub into the flour and salt until mixture resembles crumbs, working quickly so everything stays cool. (Alternatively, use a food processor.) Stir or pulse in the yoghurt and cream until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until cold.
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry between layers of baking paper and cut into 6 x 14 cm rounds. Line the base and side of 6 x 10 cm x 2 cm pie or cast-iron pans and scatter with remaining 1 tsp rosemary. Top with the lamb filling.
- Roll out remaining pastry to 6 x 12 cm rounds, place over pie filling and crimp together at the edges to avoid spillage. Trim roughly. Cut a cross in the top and bake for 15 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Serve with your lamb and rosemary pies with a little tomato sauce or relish.
The majority of the ingredients for your lamb and rosemary pies are available in our store, please head in to see us and we would be glad to help you put this delicious meal together.