Spiced Lamb and Spinach Pie with Pea Salad
Clare Falzon
Chef Clare Falzon brings her Maltese roots and a love of seasonality to Staġuni, her Barossa Valley restaurant housed in a restored 1920s schoolhouse.
After stints at Gordon Ramsay’s Maze, Sydney’s Nomad, and as executive chef at Hentley Farm, Clare now celebrates community, heritage and produce through generous Mediterranean-inspired plates.
INGREDIENTS
LAMB PIE
800g lamb mince
1 brown onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
150ml vegetable oil
1 litre chicken stock
1 tablespoon corn flour
6 sheets of filo pastry
50g butter, melted
½ bunch spinach, stems removed
Salt and pepper to taste
SPICE BLEND
1 tbsp cumin, ground
½ tbsp coriander, ground
½ tbsp turmeric, ground
1 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp cracked black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
SALAD
2 cups boiled and chilled peas
2 handfuls watercress or pea sprouts (or a mix of both)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sumac
YOGHURT SALAD DRESSING
100g greek Yoghurt
20 mint leaves, sliced
¼ bunch dill, fronds and stems, sliced
50ml vegetable oil
70ml extra virgin olive oil
½ lime zest
Pinch cracked black pepper
20ml lemon juice
50g white wine vinegar
Pinch of cumin, ground Salt to taste
METHOD
LAMB PIE
Add the stock to a pot & warm over medium to high heat. Meanwhile, in a bowl add the corn flour & gradually add water, while stirring, to make a thick slurry.
Once the stock is hot, slowly pour in the corn flour slurry while whisking. The stock should thicken. If needed, strain afterwards.
In a wide based pot/pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Once at temperature, add the diced onion and cook until translucent.
Turn the heat to medium high & add lamb mince and cook & once browned, add garlic, and cook until the garlic is aromatic.
Turn the heat back to medium & add spice mix. Allow to cook gently for 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
Add the thickened stock & allow to simmer until desired consistency. Meanwhile, leaving spinach leaves whole, gently sauté in a pan over medium heat in a small amount of vegetable oil.
Cut the filo sheets in half. With the melted butter & a pastry brush, brush one side with butter & face down in an individual pie dish. Repeat with two more sheets, laying in different directions.
Fill the filo with a quarter of the mince, & top with cooked spinach leaves. Then pull the filo sheets up to encase the pie. Bake for 20 minutes on 180° celcius.
YOGHURT DRESSING
Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and fold together with a whisk until combined.
YOGHURT DRESSED PEA SALAD
In a bowl, add peas, sumac, salt to taste and desired amount of Yoghurt dressing. Stir to combine, and add watercress or pea sprouts at the last moment.