03 Magazine: February 03, 2024

Recipe | Magazine 63
LAMB & YOGHURT PIE
This recipe was inspired by a trip to Santorini in Greece a few years ago. A wonderful
combination of flavours and a lighter version of a traditional Kiwi pie.
Serves 8 | Prep time 20 minutes | Cook time 1 hour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1kg lamb mince
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 lemons, grated zest and juice
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely chopped parsley
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
70g toasted pine nuts
12 sheets filo pastry
100g clarified butter or ghee
500g unsweetened Greek yoghurt
1 shallow tin, approximately 30 x 22 x 3cm
Heat oil in a large frypan, add onion and garlic and cook
until translucent. Add lamb and brown thoroughly, breaking
up clumps as it cooks with a wooden spoon. Add cinnamon,
tomato paste, lemon, salt and pepper, and cook for a further
5 minutes. Add parsley, breadcrumbs and pine nuts and set
aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Remove filo pastry from packet and
count out 12 sheets. Place pastry on bench and cover with a
barely damp tea towel. Brush one sheet of filo pastry lightly
with the butter. Place another layer of pastry on top, brushing
with butter as you go, and repeat until you have six sheets.
Grease shallow tin and line base and sides with the first six
sheets of pastry. Fill with half the lamb mixture. Spread with
yoghurt and top with remaining lamb.
Brush remaining sheets with butter and scrunch individually
and place on top of the pie to completely cover.
Bake for 40 minutes
TIPS
• Can be made ahead of time and reheated but best eaten on
the day it is made.
• To clarify butter easily, melt in microwave and let it settle.
When cool, refrigerate until it sets. The clarified butter
will have hardened on the top leaving the buttermilk
liquid on the bottom. Remove the clarified butter and
discard the liquid.
• My preferred New Zealand brand of filo pastry is Timos.