Slow cooked Lamb filo pie with butternut and
root vegetables and a roasted lemon sauce
Click here for the downloadable recipe
INGREDIENTS
Lamb
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1,5 kg Neck/shoulder/knuckles of lamb
1 teaspoon Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 Onions, chopped
250 ml White wine or juice of 1 lemon
1 Lemon, juice and zest
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
8 Cloves, whole
1 Cinnamon stick
1 blade Mace
2 Bay leaves
10 Peppercorns
2 cups Beef/lamb stock
250g (2 cups) Butternut, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 Carrots, peeled, cut into thick slices
2 Parsnips, peeled, cut into chunks
2 Beetroot, roasted, peeled, and cut into quarters
2 tablespoons Fresh mint, finely chopped
4 tablespoons Fresh parsley, chopped
200 g Feta, roughly chopped
Pastry
10 sheets Filo pastry
4 tablespoons Melted butter
2 tablespoons Flaked almonds
2 tablespoons Pomegranate rubies
Sauce
3 Lemons
2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
5 tablespoons Olive oil
½ teaspoon Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon Fresh Origanum, finely chopped
METHOD
Prepare the lamb filling:
1. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan. Trim and cut the neck into 5 cm pieces. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook in batches, for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onion and cook until transparent.
2. Return the lamb to the saucepan and pour the wine and lemon juice slowly over it. Add the lemon zest, Worcestershire sauce, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf and peppercorns. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 ½ hours until the lamb is tender.
3. Add the butternut, carrots, parsnips, and roasted beetroot. Increase the heat to medium and cook for 20-30 minutes until butternut is almost tender and the sauce has reduced. Discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaves and remove the bones from the meat if desired. Add the mint and parsley and mix gently.
4. When slightly cooler add the chopped feta. Leave the meat filling to cool whilst preparing the filo pastry.
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Open the filo pastry and brush one sheet at a time with butter, scrunch up and place on top of the pie. Continue with the remaining sheets until the casserole dish is covered. Drizzle with the remaining butter over the top and scatter with almonds. Bake for 25 minutes or until pastry is crisp and golden. Scatter with pomegranate seeds just before serving. Serve with a roasted lemon sauce.
Prepare the sauce:
6. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
7. Halve the lemons and remove the pips. Place the lemons cut side up in a small baking dish. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the garlic and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
8. Roast until the lemons are soft and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. When the lemons are cool enough to handle, squeeze the juice into the baking dish.
9. Pour the contents of the baking dish into a blender. Add the remaining olive oil. Blend until all the ingredients are completely pureed and the sauce has a thickened consistency. Season to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
10. Serve lamb pie accompanied by a rice salad and a baby marrow, cucumber, and herb salad.
