SAVOURY PIES WEEK 1: Oven-braised lamb with rice, leeks and herbs cooked in wine sauce and used as a filling for a traditional meat pie

This is such a great pie! Based on traditional recipes from around the country it is really a full meal itself and not so much a first dish or snack as can happen with other pies. Rich in ingredients and full of taste the filling makes this pie a hearty dish to enjoy with family and friends during the Winter months! I would like, though, to mention that if you are not big fans of lamb you can substitute with pork meat or mixed ground meat. This is something I've done after the first couple of times I followed the recipe in its original version. I can assure you that the pie was equally delicious!

Cooked by Kostas Tsigas,

"Cook Book" magazine of "ETHNOS" newspaper

Ingredients (for 8 people):
1Kg of deboned lamb meat (shoulder or leg), cut in large pieces

300 gr. of rice (risotto type -but I used the long grain one)

2 large yellow onions, roughly grated

6 leeks, finely chopped (only the white part)

½ tea-cup of celery (or Greek Selino -wild celery), finely chopped

1 tbsp of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/4 tsp of dried oregano

1 large glass of white dry wine
2 tea-cups of water
1 bay leaf (optional)

4 thick phyllo pastry sheets (store-bought or homemade)

4 tbsp of olive oil

salt
pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Arrange the meat in an oven pan, add the grated onions, the leeks, the celery, the parsley, the bay leaf (if used), sprinkle with the oregano and pour over with the wine. Generously season with salt and pepper and mix the ingredients with your hands.

Cover the pan with aluminium foil, put in the oven and cook for 50 minutes. Then take it out, add the rice and the 2 tea-cups of water, stir with a wooden spoon, cover again with the foil and continue cooking for another 20 minutes.

Take out of the oven but keep the oven switched on turning the temperature down to 160°C.

Transfer with a ladle all the mixture from the pan on a large chopping board and finely chop the meat with a knife into small pieces.

Brush with some oil the bottom and the sides of an oven pan. Lay at the bottom the first phyllo sheet and spread on top the 1/3 of the meat/rice filling. Cover with the second sheet and spread another 1/3 of the mixture. Then lay the third sheet and finish with the remaining filling. Cover the pie with the last phyllo sheet, brush with some oil and pour the rest of it across the surface of the pie.

Lightly score the surface of the pie with a sharp knife (without cutting through), drizzle with a few drops of water on top and put in the oven.

Cook for 45 minutes or until the pie is done and the phyllo is nicely golden and crunchy. Allow the pie to rest for about 10-12 minutes before you serve.