Hand of Fatima Pie
Author: 
Recipe type: Pie
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
A slow-cooked lamb pie
Ingredients
  • 6 skinned lamb shanks
  • 1 bottle of dry red wine (750mls)
  • 3-4 tbspns ras el hanout
  • 12 eschallots
  • 1 tbspn cornflour
  • 6-8 portabello mushrooms
  • shortcrust pastry - I used Careme sour cream shortcrust pastry
  • 1 beaten egg yolk
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 140C (280F)
  2. Place the lamb shanks in a large casserole dish. Add wine and ras el hanout. Place a lid on the casserole dish. Turn on the heat and bring to the boil.
  3. Once boiling, turn off the heat and place in the oven for 3 hours.
  4. Remove from the oven and add eschalotts. Return to the oven for a further hour.
  5. Remove from the oven and take the meat from the bones and place in a separate bowl. (The meat should fall from the bone with just a nudge).
  6. Remove onions with a slotted spoon and place in the bowl with the lamb.
  7. Make a cornflour slurry with a small amount of water.
  8. Place the casserole dish on the hob and bring to the boil. Add cornflour slurry and stir until sauce has thickened.
  9. Turn off the heat and return meat and eschallots to the dish.
  10. Cut mushrooms in half and remove the stem. Place mushrooms on top of the meat (the mushrooms will create a barrier and stop the sauce from making the pastry go soggy - nothing worse!
  11. Roll out pastry and place the lid of the casserole dish on the pastry. Cut out a circle and place the pastry on top of the mushrooms.
  12. Use remaining pastry to make a hand. I put my hand down on the pastry and carefully cut around the shape - do this carefully - you don't want to lose a finger.
  13. Brush pastry top with egg yolk then place the hand in the centre of the pie. Brush with egg yolk.
  14. Increase oven temperature to 180C (375F).
  15. Place pie in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until pastry if golden.
  16. Serve with a salad.
Recipe by Hotly Spiced at http://hotlyspiced.com/hand-of-fatima-pie/