Lamb & Sausage Pie

[kirra]

Lamb & Sausage Pie

Lard is the fat of choice on Majorca, but here we have substituted solid vegetable shortening in the crust, with equally delicious results. For a truly authentic version of this dish, use sobrasada, a sausage that tastes very much like Spanish chorizo but is much softer.

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons orange juice
4 tablespoons (about) ice water

Filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound trimmed lean leg of lamb or 2 pounds lamb shoulder chops, boned, fat trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 pound)
2 medium-size sweet onions (such as Vidalia or Maui), halved, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
4 ounces sobrasada* or sweet Spanish chorizo, casings removed, finely chopped
1 large egg, beaten to blend

Preparation:

Crust:
Blend flour and salt in processor. Add shortening; using on/off turns, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add olive oil, orange juice, and 3 tablespoons ice water; process mixture until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together; divide in half. Form each dough half into smooth ball; flatten each into disk. Place on work surface; cover with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature while making filling.

Filling:
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Add lamb to skillet and sauté until brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Add onions and garlic to skillet and sauté 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until onions are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Return lamb to skillet. Add wine and saffron; simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in sobrasada and sauté 2 minutes. Cool filling completely.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out each dough disk between 2 sheets of parchment paper to 12-inch round. Transfer 1 dough round to ungreased rimmed baking sheet. Spread lamb filling over dough round, leaving 2-inch plain border. Cover filling with second dough round. Roll up edges, pressing together to seal well. Using small sharp knife, cut small X in center of top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush crust with beaten egg.

Bake pie until crust is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 8 appetizer or 6 main-course servings.