Lamb Pasties/Meat Pies

Tonight we're having the leftover lamb, transformed into little meat pies. Here is the recipe for Lamb Pasties.

Makes 4

8 oz (225)g rich shortcrust pastry
6-8 oz (175-225g) lean cooked lamb, diced or coarsely minced
2 t chopped fresh mint
1 T grated onion
salt and pepper
2 oz (50g) peas, cooked
2-3 T cream
beaten egg to glaze

Preheat the oven to 425.
Roll out the dough and cut into four 7 inch rounds.
Mix together all the remaining ingredients except the beaten egg and divide between the dough rounds.
Dampen the edges, bring them together and press firmly to seal. Crimp.
Place on a greased baking sheet and brush with beaten egg.
Bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

**I made my own pastry with spelt flour. I used defrosted frozen peas.
This was tasty enough- still a bit lamby for my kids. It was easy to make and an OK way to use up the lamb. I put chutney on mine-  mint would have been nice. Ketchup got added to another one. I think it could have used more mint and onion.

Chelo Kebab Koobideh

This is an Iranian dish that I love. I lived in Tehran for a couple of years as a child. Here is the link to the recipe: http://www.squidoo.com/persiankebab

The last time I made this dish, I used a recipe from another web site. But, I can't remember where I found it...

1 lb ground beef or lamb (I'm using lamb)
1 large white onion, grated (I'm squeezing out the juice before I add it)
1 pinch saffron in 1T boiling water
1 T turmeric (the other recipe used 1 t sumac- you can buy this at Talin Market)
1 egg yolk
1 garlic clove, crushed

Add salt, and mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate overnight*. Spread the meat on to skerwers and push it on well so it doesn't fall off. Cook over hot coals.

*I didn't refrigerate it overnight- just a couple of hours.

I will use the lamb that I just bought from Los Poblanos. During the holidays I visited the warehouse and met the wonderful Amy!

This is served with basmati rice- I soaked mine in very salty water all day. When it is time to cook it, I boil it till it is al dente. I then put it in a steamer, mound it, put some chunks of butter on the top of it, and steam it till it is ready. I used to put a towel around the lid to ensure the rice kernels separate, but I've found our climate is so dry, you don't need to do that.

If you really want a treat, head over to The Saffron Cafe (Lead and Cornell in Albuquerque) and get this same dish. It is delicious!

 

** Don't waste your lamb on this recipe. It stayed nicely on the skewers, but the flavor just wasn't all that great for our family. Since I have quite a few kebabs leftover I will turn them into lamb pasties for Thursday's dinner.