moroccan spiced lamb pie

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 lb ground lamb

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons tomato paste

3/4-1 cup water or chicken stock

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1 package fillo dough

Mint Rice, for garnish

hard boiled eggs, for garnish

kalamata olives, for garnish

preserved lemon or lemon zest and juice, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

In a sauté pan, over medium high heat, add one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes or until it becomes translucent. Add the lamb to the pan and cook until it's brown. Put in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the next eight ingredients and cook until all of the spices and paste are blended and become fragrant. Stir in the water and allow the mixture to thicken a bit, then remove from the heat and set aside while you prepare the dough. 

Use olive oil to grease a 9 inch cast iron pan or pie dish. Gently line the layers of fillo dough over the dish, letting the dough hang over the sides so that later you can fold it over to cover the pie. Once one layer of dough is laid over the dish, drizzle over about a teaspoon olive oil, and then lay over another layer of fillo dough. Continue to layer fillo dough and olive oil until you've used the entire package of dough. Put the lamb mixture into the pan, then fold over the excess dough to cover the entire pie. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top then place in the oven. Allow the pie to bake for 25-30 minutes or until the dough is crisp and brown. Allow to cool a bit, then serve with Mint Rice, eggs, olives, and lemons. 

For Mint Rice:

Add 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh mint to three cups cooked white rice. You can also use brown rice or couscous.