Australia Day Lamb Pies
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Ingredients
  • 4 lamb shanks
  • 1.5 cups red wine
  • 3 cups beef stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 carrots finely diced
  • 2 onions finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 4 sheets rolled puff pastry
  • 4 sheets rolled shortcrust pastry
  • 1 egg beaten for an egg wash
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 160C
  2. Sear the shanks in a pan on medium to high heat, sealing them all over then place them in a large crockpot.
  3. Deglaze the searing pan with 1 cup of red wine and allow the alcohol to burn off then add 2 cups of beef stock and the bay leaves and allow to simmer to 3 minutes.
  4. Pour the liquid over the shanks then cover and pop in the oven for minimum 4 hours. You want the meat to fall of the bone. I usually do shanks in the oven for up to 6 hours on low heat.
  5. When they are done, remove the shanks from the oven and set aside to cool. When they are cool to touch, use your hands to pull apart the meat.
  6. Fry up the onions, carrots and garlic in a pan over medium heat. When they are soft, turn the heat up high and deglaze the pan with half a cup of red wine. Add the left over cup of beef stock and all the mixture to reduce slightly and thicken.
  7. Set the oven to 180C and using a cookie cutter cut out shortcrust pastry rounds and press them into two 12 pocket muffin tins. Using a folk prick the pastry then line each pocket with baking paper and baking beads or raw whole beans as weights and blind bake for 10 minutes.
  8. Remove from the oven and discard the baking paper and baking weights. Spoon the lamb mixture into each pocket then cover each one with a round puff pastry cut out. Use any left over pastry to write things on your pies if you like. Brush each one lightly with an egg wash and bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until the pastry is lovely and browned.
  9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack. Serve with some mushy peas and savor and enjoy.
  10. Makes: 24 mini pies
Recipe by The Luminous Kitchen at http://theluminouskitchen.com/lamb-pies/