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Souvlaki Braised Lamb Pie

The flavors of Greek souvlaki meet a British lamb and mushroom pie in this flavorful collision of cuisines.
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Ingredients
  

For the Braised Lamb with Mushrooms:

  • 3-pounds boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder, cut into 1-½ inch cubes
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour, used to dredge the lamb cubes
  • 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 4 tbsp. butter
  • 2 cups button or crimini mushrooms, cut in quarters
  • 2 large onions, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups low sodium lamb or veal
  • 1 cup red wine, or additional stock if you prefer
  • 1-½ cups pureed canned tomatoes
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • ½ tsp. dried thyme
  • 2 tbsp. smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 leaves bay

For the Pastry:

  • ½ cup very cold butter, cut into small cubes
  • ½ cup very cold vegetable shortening, cut into small cubes
  • 2-½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ - ⅓ cup ice water, only enough to make a dough form

Instructions
 

To prepare the braised lamb with mushrooms:

  • Pre-heat oven to 300°F.
  • Trim the lamb roast of excess fat; cut it into 1-½ inch cubes.
  • Season the cubes with salt and pepper; roll them in flour to coat well.
  • In a cast iron skillet, heat the oil, over medium high heat, and brown the lamb cubes well in small batches.
  • Do not crowd the pan with the lamb or it will be harder to brown and be drier when cooked.
  • Transfer the browned lamb to a covered roasting pan or Dutch oven.
  • In a saute pan, over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the mushrooms until lightly browned.
  • Add the onions and garlic.
  • Saute, over medium heat, until the onions have softened but not browned; add the mushrooms, garlic and onions to the roasting pan with the lamb.
  • Add the lamb stock, red wine, pureed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, oregano, thyme, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and bay leaves.
  • Stir and cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil before adding the lid.
  • Place in pre-heated oven and cook for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until the lamb is fall-apart tender and the gravy is slightly thickened
  • Remove from oven and discard the bay leaves; set aside.

To prepare the pastry:

  • There are two ways to approach the pastry: either as a single sheet over the entire pie or as pre-baked sections of pastry to top individual serving dishes. If using the single top sheet of pastry method, transfer the braised lamb and sauce to a large 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan to increase the surface area for the pastry.
  • Using a food processor or a pastry blender, cut cold butter and shortening into the flour and salt until mixture resembles a coarse meal; small pieces of butter should still be visible.
  • Pour cold water over the mixture and work in by tossing with a fork until dough begins to form; use your hands as little as possible and work the dough as little as possible.
  • Divide dough into 2 balls; flatten into 2 rounds; wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes.
  • Dough can be made the day before but make sure you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out.
  • If using the dough on a single large baking dish, just roll one of the pieces of dough out to approximately a half inch larger than the dish on all sides; the second piece of dough can be frozen to use later.
  • Egg wash the edges of the baking dish with a little beaten egg to help the pastry stick.
  • Cut a few slits in the top of the pastry to let steam escape and brush the egg wash onto the top of the pastry.
  • Place in a oven pre-heated to 375°F. for 20 - 25 minutes or until the pastry is evenly golden brown.
  • To make pastry toppers for individual serving dishes instead, roll out the dough a bit thicker than for a pie crust and cut the shapes just a little smaller than the tops of the serving dishes.
  • Cutting them a little smaller allows you to see what lies beneath that golden crust.
  • Pre-heat oven to 375°F and place the pieces of pastry onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
  • Brush with an egg wash of 1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp. water; you don't use all the eggwash, a thin coat is enough; it aids the browning of the pastry and isn't completely necessary.
  • Place in pre-heated oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown.
  • Serve on top of the individual serving dishes that have been filled with the braised lamb and mushrooms.

Notes

This recipe can also be adapted to use beef or pork.