Yesterday was a special day, it was the day we celebrated our first Father’s Day as a new family. It was filled with sunshine and sea air and a walk under a cool green canopy of cabbage and punga trees in the hills out west of our fair city. And if this wasn’t enough, it was jam-packed with more than our fair share of cuddles and kisses given freely from our gorgeous 9 month-old boy – who could wish for more?!
In preparation for this special Sunday I endeavored to surreptitiously extract from Nick his favourite dish. Lamb featured highly (there was even mention that he would eat it for breakfast!) as did pies. So lamb pies it was! I carefully slow cooked the lamb overnight in a full-bodied porter, to which I then added sumac, cinnamon, coriander and roasted eggplant. Toasted pinenuts and a bunch of coriander freshly picked from a tall terracotta pot in Mum’s garden finished the filling off before it was encased in undeniably the best pastry I have ever made…..if I do say so myself!
I served Nick these pies a day early and he graciously agreed to share them. Squeezed around our dining room table surrounded by friends and happy chatter he declared that they were the best pies he had ever laid his hands on. Happy Father’s Day to the world’s best Daddy!