Ingredients
(Serves 4)
1kg neck fillet of mutton, cut into rough 2cm pieces
Plain flour for dusting
2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
Vegetable oil for frying
A small sprig of rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.5 litres chicken or lamb stock
425g turnips, peeled and cut into rough 2-3cm chunks
350g puff pastry, rolled to about 1cm thick
1 egg, beaten
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC (Gas 4-5).
Season the pieces of mutton and dust generously with about 1tbs of flour.
Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and fry the pieces of mutton and onions without colouring them too much, for 3-4 minutes.
Add the rosemary and stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 11/2- 2 hours until the mutton is soft and tender. (This may take a little longer - or not quite as long - as it is difficult to put a precise cooking time on stewed mutton.) Check seasoning.
Add the turnips when the meat is nearly done. Cover the pan with a lid and add a little boiled water if the sauce has reduced too much. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the turnips are cooked. Remove the pan from heat and leave to cool.
Meanwhile cut the pastry a little larger than the pie dish or dishes if you are making individual pies.
When the mutton mixture is cooled, transfer it to your pie dish.
Brush the edges of the pastry with some egg and lay the pastry on the dish, pressing the edges on to the rim. Cut a slit about 2-3cm in the centre to let the steam out or for a larger pie, use a pie funnel.
Bake the pies for 30-35 minutes until golden.
Serve with buttered cabbage, boiled potatoes or mashed swede.
By Mark Hix, chef-director, the Ivy