Meat mains
Spiced lamb pie with courgettes and mint
Make sure your pastry is cooked through; check the bottom and if it needs a little longer in the oven, turn the heat lower and carry on cooking it for a few more minutes. The residual oven heat will cook it through without burning the top of the crust. Cook your courgettes in batches if your frying pan isn't big enough to fit them in a single layer. Keep them warm in the oven while you fry the next batch.
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- oil for frying e.g. sunflower or light olive
- 1 garlic clove
- 200g lamb mince
- 200g spinach
- lamb spice pot containing:
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried mint
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes – use just a pinch or all, to your preference for heat
- ½ tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 pack puff pastry
- 1 egg
- mixed seed pot containing:
- ½ tsp poppy seeds
- ½ tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- sprig fresh mint
- 2 courgettes
- 1 lemon
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Peel and finely dice the onion. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Add the onion. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add a splash of water to stop it catching, if needed.
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Step 2
Meanwhile, peel and finely chop, grate, or crush 1 garlic clove. After 5 minutes, add the lamb to the onion. Cook, stirring now and then, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, wash the spinach. Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 6.
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Step 3
When the lamb has cooked for 10 minutes, add the garlic, lamb spice pot and chilli flakes (to your taste). Stir for 2 minutes. Add half the tin of chopped tomatoes (save the rest for use in other meals). Season, bring the mixture up to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
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Step 4
Meanwhile, boil the spinach in the waiting pan for 1-2 minutes, until wilted. Then drain it, run it under cold water in the colander and use your hands to squeeze out excess moisture. Chop it up. Beat the egg in a mug or bowl.
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Step 5
Once cooked, take the lamb off the heat. Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Take the pastry out of the fridge. Unwrap and cut into 4 equal-sized rectangles. Trim off 1cm from the edges of 2 of the rectangles. Lay these smaller pieces on a nonstick baking tray.
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Step 6
Stir the chopped spinach into the lamb. Spoon the lamb mix 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 mixed seeds. Pop in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until puffed, golden and cooked through (see cook's note). Once the lamb pies are cooked, turn the oven to very low to keep them warm.
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Step 9
Wash and shred 6 mint leaves. Wash the courgettes and chop into 1cm rounds. 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 need be, see cook's note).
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Step 10
Fry the courgettes on each side for about 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned and slightly softened. Sprinkle the fresh mint over the courgettes. Season and add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Serve with the pies.