Homemade Spiced Lamb Pies have special space in my home. Growing up, we had lots of vegetarian and ground spiced lamb stuffed samosas (deep fried hand pies) and this pie always reminds my of those. However, other than spicy lamb stuffing, these pies are totally different from Samosa in ingredients as well as method of preparation. Even though it has lamb (rich red meat) stuffing, bread is baked rather than deep fried and I have used yeast dough with combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour to make these delicious and hearty hand pies.
Will you believe, if I tell you that they have been made with leftover lamb meatloaf?You can make'em with fresh cooked ground lamb too, but leftovers (leftover turkey loaf will be good too) work perfectly in these pies.
Pies are very aromatic, meaty and delicious, will freeze perfectly for snacking later. I found them best served for family dinners with red wine. So make them for thanksgiving feast now and freeze for the big day. Or make them after thanksgiving using leftover turkey or meat loaf for enjoying the festive food for long time.
2. Knead for additional 4-5 minutes. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, turn upside down, so that dough is completely covered with oil and leave covered for till it doubles in size.
3. For filling - to make the filling, break leftover lamb meat loaf using fork to crumbs. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add crumbled lamb and saute till brown. Remove from pan on a paper towel and leave aside.
4. In the same pan, add chopped garlic, onion, bell pepper and saute till onion are soft (3-4 minutes) Add cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric and cayenne and continue saute for 2 minutes. Add lamb back to pan and mix well.
5. Leave aside until cools completely.
6. To assemble pies, knock air out of risen dough. Let it rest for five minutes. Divide dough in two parts. cover one part with kitchen towel and divide rest into 12 equal parts. Cover 6 parts with kitchen towel and roll rest to 4 inch diameter round circle each. Top each circle with 1 heaping tbsp of cooled lamb mixture.
7. Pinch two sides of flat dough - as shown in picture to make a triangle.
8. Lift and pinch in the third open side and set aside on a sheet lined with parchment paper.
9. Repeat step 7 and 8 for all of the remaining dough to make 24 pies. You will need 4 baking sheets, 6 per sheet and space'em at least 2 inch apart.
10. Preheat oven at 450 F. Sprinkle pies with few pinches of dry all-purpose flour. Cover with dry kitchen towel and let rise in room temperature for 20 minutes. Pies will not double in size but will appear to be bit fluffy. Bake for 10-15 minutes till bottom of pies are golden brown, crispy. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
I have used leftover lamb meat loaf for this recipe but you can cook fresh ground lamb meat with spices mentioned in recipe below, just add 2 tbsp tomato paste while cooking.
Thank you @Angie. I always love seeing you around, giving me feedback and encouraging my work. These pies freeze perfectly, you can make a good batch and enjoy for a long time. Happy Holidays!!
Probably already said this, but love the recipe, and will be making these as soon as I get the lamb. It's a lot harder to find in KY than in other parts of the US, but if it's here anyplace, I'll find it. I want those pies. Love anything I can eat out-of-hand. Thank you, my friend.