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Curried Lamb Potpie for Pi(e) Day

Welcome to Pi(e) Day hosted by Terri from Love and Confections! Pi Day is celebrated every March 14 by math fans around the world - and also bakers and pastry chefs. Pi is an non-repeating, infinite number represented by the Greek letter π, and used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

Today, March 14, 2015, is an extra special Pi Day, because at 9:26:53 AM it creates the "Pi Moment of the Century". The first ten digits of Pi are 3.141592653 (3/14/15, 9:26 AM and 53 seconds). This exact date and time happens once every hundred years - a once in a lifetime moment for most of us. How cool is that?

Today, 21 Food Bloggers have gathered and want to celebrate the fun of Pi by creating their own sweet and savory pies to share with you. Hope you have a delicious day!

To no one's surprise, I opted to go savory. Well, I made a Curried Lamb Potpie.


Ingredients
Crust
  • 1 1/2 C whole wheat pasty flour
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1/2 C cold butter, diced
  • 1/4 C cold water
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 t water
Curry

  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 lbs boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed into 1" cubes
  • freshly ground salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 T curry powder
  • 2 1/2 T flour
  • 1/3 C beer (I used a wheat beer)
  • 2 C chicken stock
  • 2 C peeled butternut squash, cut into 1" cubes
  • 2 C chopped dinosaur kale
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped
  • 1 C unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2 T fresh parsley, chopped

Procedure
Crust
In a large mixing bowl, place the butter, salt, and flour. Using a pastry cutter, blend the mixture until you have pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle the water over the mixture and bring the dough together into a ball. On a floured surface, knead the pastry gently a few times. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

Curry
In a Dutch oven, heat oil. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and add to the pot. Cook over medium heat until browned on all sides, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the onion and cook until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, then slowly stir in the beer until smooth. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil, stirring, until nicely thickened, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lamb is very tender, approximately 1 hour.

Add the squash, kale, carrot and coconut milk to the pot and simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, approximately 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and let cool.

Assembly
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Spoon the curry into buttered individual ramekins.


Brush the rim of the dishes with beaten egg. Roll out the pastry between two pieces of parchment and cut into circles that are slightly larger than the circumference of the ramekin. Place the crust over the curry and gently press around the edge of the dish. Brush with beaten egg; slice a few small steam vents in the top. Place the pies on a baking sheet.

Bake the potpies for 40 minutes. Raise the heat to 450° F; bake an additional 20 minutes, until the pastry is browned and cooked through. Let rest for 20 minutes, then serve.


Enjoy a slice from the Pi(e) Day Bloggers

Comments

  1. Happy Pi Day Camilla! I just love that you made a savory recipe for today's holiday of all things PI(E)!! :-)

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  2. What a delicious sounding pot pie! These are perfect for today! :)

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  3. I could have bet money you would go savory and wouldn't these be perfect for dinner next Tuesday....

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  4. I love a good pot pie - this sounds rich and delicious. Thank you for participating Camilla!

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  5. Wow, this looks delicious! Look forward to trying.

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  6. My husband loves lamb- this would be great, thanks!

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  7. Mmm...lamb in a wonderful curry and it's a pie! Great idea, Camilla! Happy Pi(e) Day!

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  8. These sound scrumptious, lamb and curry is an awesome combination!

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  9. We love lamb curry at our house and probably eat it at least once a month but I don't think I've ever posted a recipe because it's all very seat-of-my-pants and varies with what else is in the refrigerator. I can tell you what will happen next time I make it though: These beautiful little pies! They are brilliant!

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  10. Yum! Love that you made a savory pot pie. Now we can have pie for dinner and dessert to celebrate.

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  11. Love the twist on pot pie using Indian-inspired flavors.

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