Pie For Dinner: A Savory, Spiced Lamb Pie

By Phyllis Grant November 19, 2014

When she has the kitchen all to herself, Phyllis Grant of Dash and Bella cooks beautiful iterations of what
solo meals were always meant to be: Exactly what you want, when and where you want them.
When I was 10 years old, I wanted world peace, no capital punishment, and an endless supply of Fun Dip
Sticks.
At 44, I want my kids homework done, the table set without triple requests, and for all of us to sit down
to dinner at the same time with napkins in our laps. I want my son to take a bath at least once a week. I
want a slow, luxurious husband-kiss delivered to the side of my neck while I chop herbs. I want my fall
filled with warm and cinnamony lamb pies.
I want to sit at the kitchen table -- red wine in hand, breathing deeply, staring at the wall, thinking about
nothing -- while my husband does the dishes. I want to stop yelling at my children. I want all of the laundry
folded and tucked away, the bills organized and paid, the leak under the kitchen sink fixed.
I want us all to feel safe.
Last Wednesday, at 6 PM, I try for these dreams, but there are some issues. My husband is out of town. The
red wine gives me a headache. I google perimenopause and red wine. The news is horrifying. So I become
a yelling machine. No way. Not on a school night. No. I dont care how nicely you ask. No screentime. No.
No! Nooooooooooo! No. Please, Dash. Dont sharpen your pencil with a chef knife! Pick up your lunchbox
your Legos your jacket your dirty socks your homework your cheddar bunnies!!!
I turn away from it all to stir a pungent paste of garlic, anchovies, tomato paste, and spices into the ground
lamb. My world fills with cinnamon, paprika, cumin. The juices reduce down and thicken. I turn off the
heat and reach for the dough. I hear a jumble of voices: teacher, mama, recipe writer. Dont move your
body, move the dough. Dont overhandle it. Add flour. Move quickly. Look at the beautiful marbling of
butter. Isnt dough
amazing? Want to make
a honey pie with the
scraps?
I pour the filling into the
pie shell, slide as much
cheese as possible
underneath the top crust,
and bust out a scrappy
crimp. I am no longer
yelling. I snap out of my
pie trance and
remember that kids need
to be fed at a reasonable
hour on a school night.
And 8:30 PM isnt
reasonable. I pull out
the frozen pizza.

Spiced Lamb Pie

By Phyllis Grant November 18, 2014

Author Notes: I usually use a 10-inch pie pan for this recipe but you can use any size or shape. I've even
used a springform cake pan.
You can make this pie all in one evening, but I dont recommend it. Try to make your pie dough and filling
a few hours or a day ahead of time. And use your favorite dough recipe for the crust. (Here's one for
reference: https://food52.com/recipes/24928-all-buttah-pie-dough.)
Be warned. This pie is rich. You don't drain the fat from the lamb. You line the interior with cheddar
cheese. You use a butter crust. So make sure you cut the fat by serving the pie with something refreshing.
Crme frache and sour cream are too rich. Use yogurt. And perhaps some pomegranate arils. Or serve it
with a salad of hearts of romaine and tangy lemon vinaigrette. Just don't eat this pie alone. - Phyllis Grant
Serves 6

2 batches of your favorite pie dough (enough for two 10-inch circles rolled out 1/4inch thick)
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 anchovy fillets, packed in oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium-sized yellow onions, peeled and diced (yielding about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
14 1/2 ounces crushed or diced tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped mint
1/3 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (I prefer creamy Grey Poupon)
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
1 egg
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (fleur de sel or Maldon)

1. Take the lamb out of the fridge and break it apart into about quarter-sized
pieces. Set aside.
2. With your mortar and pestle, make a paste with garlic, anchovies, tomato
paste, honey, and Worchestershire sauce. Mix in cinnamon, cumin, and
paprika.
3. Add olive oil and butter to a medium pot or cast-iron pan over medium heat.
Once the butter is melted, slide in your onions. Add salt. Stir. Cook over
medium heat until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the meat.
Stir for a few minutes, continuing to break apart the meat even more with the
back of your spoon. Its okay if its still pink; you will be cooking it for a long
time. Add the spice paste. Stir for 2 minutes, integrating the paste and
cooking it a bit in the
hot pan. Add the
tomatoes. Turn the
heat down to mediumlow. Cook until the
sauce thickens, about
twenty minutes. Take
off the heat and stir in
herbs, lemon juice,
lemon zest, and sherry
vinegar. Taste. Adjust
seasoning. If you have
time, allow it to cool.

4. 20 minutes before making your pie, take your pie dough out of the fridge or
freezer. Heat oven to 350 F. When the dough just starts to soften, scatter
flour on your counter and roll out the first disc of dough into a circle that's
about an inch bigger than your pie pan. (Shoot for the dough to be about 1/4inch thick but don't worry too much. It will work regardless. I promise.)
Press it into your pie pan. Using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, paint
the interior of the dough with mustard. Pour in cooled lamb filling. Cover the
filling with slices of cheese. Roll out second disc of dough. Place dough on top
of cheese and filling.
Seal the top layer of
dough with the
bottom. Tuck edges
underneath. Crimp
away! Or fold over.
Or use the tines of a
fork to make a pretty
pattern. If you have
any scraps of dough,
add a few decorative
flourishes in the
form of a lightning
bolt, a leaf, a star, or
a heart.

5. Whisk together egg and cream. Using a pastry brush, paint the top and edges
of the pie with the egg wash. Don't go overboard. Just a light coating. You will
have a lot left over. Save it for your next pie. Decoratively cut several 2-inch
long gashes in the center of the pie to allow the steam to escape. Sprinkle
crust with coarse salt. Bake until crust is golden brown and the lamb filling is
bubbling a bit out of the slits (45 to 55 minutes). Remove from the oven.
Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. Serve with something refreshing like
yogurt mixed with chopped mint and lemon zest. Or a crisp green salad with
avocado and pomegranate arils.
Photos by Phyllis Grant