Filled to the brim with wintery veggies and tender lamb shank, this showstopper of a pie is the perfect dinner party centrepiece.
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 4 hours
Serves: 6 to 8
Ingredients:
4 to 6 large lamb shanks
Olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
2 large leeks, thinly sliced and thoroughly rinsed
4 large carrots, washed and finely chopped–4 celery sticks, washed and finely chopped
250g brown mushrooms, washed and finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
4 brown anchovy fillets, finely chopped
250ml dry red wine
250ml beef or vegetable stock
4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
400g tinned tomatoes in tomato juice
2 Tbsp tomato paste
6 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 roll ready made puff pastry, thawed
Plain flour
1 egg, beaten
Rub the lamb shanks with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. In a large, lidded casserole pot over high heat, brown the shanks on all sides. Once browned, remove the shanks from the pot and set aside. Add the chopped leeks, carrots, celery and mushrooms to the pot and sauté over medium heat until soft. Stir through the chopped herbs and anchovy fillets. Deglaze the pot with the wine and simmer for a minute before adding the stock. Follow with the tomatoes (fresh and tinned) and the tomato paste. Give the pot a stir, replace the lid and put into a preheated 200°C oven. Once in the oven, reduce the heat to 160°C and cook for 3 hours. The lamb is ready once it falls off the bone. Once the lamb is tender, remove the shanks from the casserole and use two forks to shred the meat, discarding any cartilage, skin and fat but retaining the shank bones. Return the shredded meat to the pot and stir through. Put the casserole back into the oven – this time without its lid – and increase the heat to 180°C. Simmer the pie filling for a further 30 minutes or until any excess liquid has reduced.
Spoon the filling into a large ovenproof dish and set aside. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to fit over the dish with an overhang. Stand the shank bones upright in the pie filling and carefully arrange the pastry over the top, slicing openings in the pastry to accommodate the bones. Crimp in the edges of the pie and use the excess pastry to cut out decorations for the top. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and return the pie to a preheated 200°C oven. The pie is ready once the pastry is golden brown and crispy.Serve the pie with creamy mashed potato, steamed greens and Tokara 2022 Reserve Collection Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon.
