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Makes 6 or 7 pies

Mutton, which is the meat from sheep, is not much used these days, so really you'll have to use lamb. Fortunately for us, the use of sugar, dried fruit, and sweet spices disappeared from mutton pies, and recipes for mutton pies have been savory since the 1700s. Like the following veal and pork pies, mutton pies are traditionally made with a hot-water crust, but this recipe uses pie dough to make a sort of pasty.

Individual Mutton Pies

1 pound mutton or lamb cubes for stew with bones attached

Mutton Stock

Bones from the mutton or lamb

1 bay leaf

½ carrot

½ celery rib

¼ onion

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

Several sprigs parsley Several sprigs dill

Mutton Filling

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)

Mutton or lamb detached from the bones, trimmed, and cut into ¼-inch dice

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup mutton or lamb stock

Freshly ground black pepper

Pasty Dough

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into pieces

½ cup (8 tablespoons) vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into pieces

½ to ¾ cup cold water

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for brushing the tops of the pies

To make the stock, cover the bones with water in a small pot, add the bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Add the carrot, celery, onion, salt, rosemary, parsley, and dill and simmer for another ½ hour. Strain the stock through a sieve and cool. Use a fat separator or chill the stock to remove the fat layer. Measure out 1 cup of stock and set aside.

To make the filling, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet and sear the mutton or lamb in batches over high heat 4 to 5 minutes on each side until crusty brown, transferring the batches to a large plate. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Cook the onion over mediumlow heat, scraping the fond (browned bits) from the bottom of the skillet, until the onions are softened. Add the flour and stir to combine. Add the reserved cup of stock to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbling. Add the meat back to the skillet along with any accumulated juices and the black pepper. Simmer for 1 hour, then cool to room temperature.

To make the pasty dough, place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter and shortening over the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse yellow meal without any white powdery bits remaining, about 15 pulses. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle ½ cup water over the mixture and toss with a rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is dry (better too wet than too dry). Divide the dough in half, form into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour.

To assemble the pies, preheat the oven to 450°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one disk at a time, roll out each disk 1//8-inch thick. Use a 4-inch cookie cutter to cut out circles of dough. Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling onto half the circles. Moisten the edges and cover with the rest of the circles. Use a fork dipped in flour to crimp the edges to seal them. Brush the tops with beaten egg and cut slits to make vents. Arrange the pies on the cookie sheets and bake for 15 minutes, rotating and switching the pans halfway through baking. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake another 5 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 6 to 8 pies

To save the time and tedium of making a lamb stock from scratch, you can substitute 1 cup canned beef or chicken broth.

It's interesting to find a food that people have been eating since medieval times. Veal pies belong to the family of “raised pies,” which are pies made from a hot-water crust that can stand up on its own (you don't actually need a muffin pan, although it's easier if you use one). The typical veal pie usually contains ham or ham and eggs, but that would be a bit much for a small version, so