Mediterranean Lamb Shank Pie
By Georgia East (Instagram @eastafternoon)
A twist on the traditional meat pie, flavoursome lamb shank is slow braised with aubergine, rosemary and olives until meltingly tender before being topped with buttery pastry and baked until golden.
This recipe works equally well as individual pot pies or one large dish. Not only aesthetic, the addition of the shank bones’ marrow further flavours the pies as they bake.
Prep time: /Cook time: 3 hours /Serves: 4-6
You will need:
- 4 large lamb shanks
- Olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 5-8 baby aubergines OR 3 large aubergines, roughly chopped
- 3-6 sprigs of rosemary
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 250ml Verjuice
- 500ml L.A. FARMS Angus Bone Broth
- 2 tablespoons pitted black olives, roughly chopped
- Sea salt and coarse black pepper
- 1 roll of readymade puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg, beaten
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Using a large casserole, heat the olive oil, add in 2 sprigs of rosemary and brown the lamb shanks, careful to colour each side of the meat. Remove the shanks and rosemary and set aside. Fry the onion, carrot and aubergine in the remaining oil and rendered lamb fat until soft and slightly browned. Season with salt and pepper and add the crushed garlic and tomato paste. Cook on high for a little longer then (if using) pour in the wine to deglaze the base of the casserole. Pour in the stock and return the shanks to the pot. Bring to a simmer then cover the casserole with its lid and cook the shanks in the oven for 30 minutes at 220°C and then for the remaining 2 hours at 160°C. The lamb shanks need to be meltingly tender and the liquid substantially reduced.
Use two forks to shred the meat, removing any bones and setting them aside. Carefully stir through the pitted olives and season the shredded lamb to taste. Fill individual pie dishes halfway with the lamb filling and then stand the discarded shank bones upright in each dish. Fill the rest of the pie dishes with the lamb filling.
On a floured surface, roll out the pastry and divide according to the number of pies being made. Slice a small “x” into the middle of each pastry sheet – this allows the shank bone to poke through the pastry.
Carefully drape the pastry over each pie, slicing off any excess around the edges. Crimp in the cut edges of the pastry and roll out any leftover scraps to decorate the pies with. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and bake the pies in a preheated 220°C oven for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
Serve the lamb shank pies with creamy mashed potato and steamed greens.