Angela Casley's slow-cooked lamb and mushroom pies

Photo / Babiche Martens

Aim to get the filling cooked the day before if time allows. Then all that is left is to fill the pies, cook and enjoy. This can be made as one big pie if you don't have individual tins. Serve with a creamy mash and greens for a hearty meal. Or eat as is!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp	olive oil
1	onion, chopped
3	cloves garlic, crushed
600g	lamb steak, chopped
300g	mushrooms, sliced
2 cups	red wine
½ cup	water
2 Tbsp	chopped rosemary
1 tsp	paprika
1 tsp each	salt and pepper, to taste
20g	butter
2 Tbsp	flour
1 cup	chopped parsley
400g	puff pastry, pre-rolled
1	egg yolk whisked with 1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp	toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 180C.
2. Place the oil, onion, garlic and lamb in an ovenproof dish and roast for 30 minutes.
3. Turn the oven to 160C. Remove the dish from the oven and add the mushrooms, wine, water, rosemary, paprika, salt and pepper. Cover and return to the oven for 2 hours or until the meat pulls apart with two forks. Shred the meat slightly.
4. Melt the butter and stir through the flour. Add this to the pie filling, stirring through well. Return to the oven for a further 30 minutes. This will thicken the mixture. Remove, stir through the parsley, season to taste and cool completely.
5. When ready to make the pies, preheat the oven to 200C. Place the pastry on a lightly floured bench. Cut four pieces to fit four individual pie tins, leaving a little overhang. Spoon the filling into the tins. Cut four pieces to fit the top. Dampen the edges of the pastry and press closed. Trim the extra pastry and reroll.
6. Brush the top of the pies with egg wash. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Make a slit in the top of each pie to let the steam out. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until puffed and golden.
7. Remove from the tins and serve hot with your favourite chutney.