Meat mains
Moroccan spiced lamb pie with courgettes
Fragrant, spiced Moroccan style lamb pies served here with minted courgettes and a little chilli kick. Try to find proper, all-butter pastry and avoid the supermarket ones if you can. Make sure it is cooked through; check the bottom and if it needs longer in the oven, turn the heat lower and give it a few more mins. The residual heat should cook it through without burning the top of the crust. Cook your courgettes in batches if your pan isn't big enough to fit them in a single layer. Keep them warm in the oven while you fry the next batch. As there are chilli flakes in the pie, add fresh chilli to the courgettes to taste, or leave out, as you prefer.
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- oil for frying
- 1 garlic clove
- 200g lamb mince
- 200g baby spinach
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried mint
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes - add to taste
- ½ tin chopped tomatoes
- salt and pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 pack puff pastry
- ½ tbsp poppy seeds
- ½ tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 fresh chilli
- 7g fresh mint
- 2 courgettes
- 1 lemon
Method
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Step 1
Put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Peel and finely dice the onion. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Fry the onion on a low heat for 5 mins, stirring often. Add a splash of water to stop it catching, if needed.
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Step 2
Meanwhile, peel and finely chop 1 garlic clove. After 5 mins, add the lamb to the onion. Cook, stirring now and then, for 10 mins (adding a splash of water again, if needed). Meanwhile, wash the spinach. Preheat your oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
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Step 3
When the lamb has cooked for 10 mins, add the garlic, ground cumin, dried mint, smoked paprika and chilli flakes. Stir for 2 mins. Add half the tinned tomatoes (save the rest for use in other meals). Season and simmer for 5 mins.
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Step 4
Meanwhile, boil the spinach for 1 min, until wilted. Drain and run it under cold water to cool. Squeeze out excess moisture. Chop it up. Beat the egg in a mug or bowl.
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Step 5
Take the cooked lamb off the heat. Leave to cool for 5 mins. Cut the pastry into 4 equal rectangles. Trim off 1cm from the edges of 2 of the rectangles. Lay these smaller pieces on a baking tray.
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Step 6
Stir the spinach into the lamb. Spoon it equally over the pastry pieces on the baking tray, leaving a 2cm border around the edge of the pastry. Wet the edges with some of the beaten egg.
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Step 7
Cover with the 2 larger pastry pieces, pressing the edges down and roughly crimping them up to seal (make sure there are no gaps for the mixture to leak out). Use the pastry trimmings to make decorative leaves for the top, if you're feeling fancy.
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Step 8
Brush some beaten egg over the top. Sprinkle over the poppy, sesame and cumin seeds. Bake for 20-25 mins, until puffed, golden and cooked through.
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Step 9
While the pies cook, deseed and finely dice half the chilli. Wash and shred 6 mint leaves. Wash the courgettes and chop into 1cm rounds. Once the pies are cooked, turn the oven to very low to keep them warm.
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Step 10
Heat a little oil in a frying pan (wash and use the same one). Add the courgettes in a single layer (cook in batches if needs be, see cook's note). Fry on each side for approx. 2-3 mins, until lightly browned and softened.
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Step 11
Toss the chilli (if using) and mint with the courgettes. Season and add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Serve with the pies.