Delicious UK - (04)April 2020

Spicyscragendpie:
Ravinder’sspicyversion
ofshepherd’spie
SERVES6-8.HANDS-ONTIME 40 MIN,
SIMMERINGTIME3 HOURS,OVENTIME
25-35MIN,PLUSCOOLING

WhenNigellacametoJikoni
thisisthedishsheorderedfor
hermaincourseandI knew
immediatelyshewasa girlafter
myownheart.Therearefew
thingsthatprovidethecomfort
ofa shepherd’spie.Myversionis
madewiththescrag– theneck
ofthelamb- ratherthanmince.
It’sa cutthatrequireslong,slow
cooking,resultingina hearty
flavourandgoodnessthat’s
extractedfromthebones,as
wellasintenselysoftmeat.I add
a goodwhackofspices,too– and
there’sstilla thickinsulating
layerofbutterymash.

MAKE

AHEAD

Make and cool the pie filling
and topping completely,
then chill separately for up
to 2 days. The filling can also be
frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost
(if necessary), then bring to room
temperature before completing the
recipe (steps 5-7) as necessary.

FOOD

TEAM’S

TIPS

Lightly beat and freeze the

leftover egg whites to use in

other recipes.

Instead of cooking the filling on the

hob in step 4, if you prefer you can

simmer it in the oven at 150°C/

130°C fan/gas 2 for 3 hours.

• Splash of vegetable oil for frying


• 1kg bone-in scrag and middle end
  of lamb, cut into 5cm slices (ask
  your butcher – or buy it at
  thegingerpig.co.uk)


• 2 red onions, finely chopped


• 2 carrots, finely chopped


• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped


• 2 heaped tsp cumin seeds


• 1 tsp ground cinnamon


• 8 cardamom pods, bashed


• 1 black cardamom pod, bashed
  (available from Whole Foods or
  online at souschef.co.uk; optional)


• 3cm piece fresh ginger, grated


• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped


• 2 green chillies, finely chopped


• 400g tin chopped tomatoes


• 2 tbsp tomato purée


• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar


• 200g frozen peas

FOR THE TOPPING

• 40ml whole milk


• 40ml double cream


• 1 onion, halved


• 4 whole cloves


• ½ tsp black peppercorns


• 1 bay leaf


• 1 garlic clove, bruised


• 1 tsp ground turmeric
  
  
  • ½ tsp smoked hot paprika
  
  
  • 750g floury potatoes (such as
    maris piper or king edward),
    peeled and evenly diced
  
  
  • 75g butter
  
  
  • 2 medium free-range egg yolks,
    beaten (see tips)
  
  
  
  

YOU’LL ALSO NEED...

• 1.5 litre baking dish with a lid

1 Heat the oil in the casserole over

a medium-high heat, season the

lamb with salt and black pepper,

then brown all over, in batches if

need be (don’t crowd the pan).

Transfer the meat to a plate.

2 Reduce the heat to low, then add

the onions, carrots and celery. Fry

gently until soft and browned – take

your time with this to really extract

a sweet caramelised flavour. It will

take about 15-20 minutes.

3 Add the cumin seeds, cinnamon

and both cardamoms (if using), then

fry for another few minutes until the

mixture is beautifully fragrant. Add

the ginger, garlic and chillies and

fry for a few more minutes, then add

the tomatoes, tomato purée and

vinegar. Season with salt and

ground black pepper.

4 Let the mixture bubble and cook for

about 8 minutes. Return the lamb

and any resting juices to the

casserole, then pour in enough water