Egyptian Lamb, Spinach and Pine Nut Sambousek

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Makes: 20 Sambouseks

INGREDIENTS

• 100gm Baby Spinach Leaves – rinse and drain.
• 10ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 200gm Brown Onion – top, tail, peel, halve and finely dice.
• 250gm Lean Lamb Mince
• ¼ tsp Allspice Powder
• ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1½  tsp Pomegranate Molasses
• 1 tsp Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1 tbsp Plain Flour
• 25gm Pine Nuts – roast until a light golden brown.
• ⅛ bunch Coriander – rinse, drain, finely chop stem and leaves.
• To Taste – Sea Salt
• 20 sheets Samosa Pastry (each sheet approximately 21cm by 7cm) – available from Indian grocery stores.
• 1 Egg – crack and beat.
• As Required – Vegetable Oil

METHOD

1. Over a moderate heat, bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the spinach leaves and blanch for 1 minute, then remove from the heat, drain and refresh under cold water. Drain again, squeeze the spinach, to remove any excess water and then finely chop it and set to one side.
2. Over a moderate heat, in a sauté pan, add and heat the oil, then add the onion and sauté, until the onion has softened.
3. Add the lamb mince and sauté for a further 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until it has broken up, is lightly browned on all sides and cooked through.
4. Add the allspice, cinnamon, pomegranate molasses and black pepper, mix to combine and sauté for a further minute.
5. Add the plain flour, mix to combine and sauté for 2 minutes to allow it to cook out while stirring continuously.
6. Add the pine nuts, coriander and spinach, mix to combine. Season to taste with sea salt. Remove the saucepan from the heat, drain off any excess fat and allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes. Place the mixture into a mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap, place into a refrigerator and cool for a further 30 minutes.
7. On a clean work surface lay out one samosa pastry sheet lengthways. Lightly brush with a little egg wash. Place approximately 25gm of the lamb mixture on the end of the pastry sheet. Fold the end of the pastry diagonally over the filling to form a triangle. Continue folding into triangles until you reach the end of the pastry sheet. Set it to one side.
8. Repeat step 7 with the remaining pastry sheets and lamb mixture.
9. Lightly brush each sambousek with a little of the remaining egg wash. Set to one side.
10. Over a moderate/low heat, in a sauté pan, add oil to a depth of 1cm. Once hot, in batches carefully add the sambousek and cook for 1 minute on each side, or until the pastry is golden and the sambousek is heated through. Remove from the heat and place each sambousek on absorbent kitchen paper to help remove excess oil. Set to one side and keep warm. Repeat until all the sambousek have been cooked.

TO SERVE

Carefully (they will be hot!) place each pie to the side of a serving plate, and if desired serve with mashed
potato, minted green peas or a light garden salad.