Turkish lamb and spinach rolls

Name: Turkish lamb and spinach rolls
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8

Starter Serves 8 1h 10 min

Describing how to make parcels with filo pastry is difficult without a diagram, especially if you want to make triangular samosa parcels. You can of course be more 'freestyle' and cut the filo into squares, spoon the filling onto the centre and scrunch the sides up, twist, and make a simple pouch. Never overfill, whatever shape you go for, or you risk a split or bursting of the sides.

Ingredients

225g young spinach leaf
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
500g minced lamb
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
pinch cayenne pepper
16 sheets filo pastry
melted butter, to brush the pastry
50g toasted pine kernels
salt and pepper

Method

Prep time: 30 min

Cooking time: 40 min

Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Blanch the spinach in salted boiling water for a couple of minutes, drain and squeeze out as much water as you can. Chop and set aside.
Step 2
Heat the oil and sweat the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, raise the heat and add the minced lamb, ground cumin, coriander and cayenne and brown all over. Drain away excess fat - the mixture should be quite dry. Remove from the heat and stir in the toasted pine kernels and chopped spinach. Season to taste.
Step 3
Now take a sheet of filo, brush with melted butter, lay a further sheet over the first and brush also. Spread an eighth of the mixture across half of the sheet, allowing a wide border so that the sheet can be folded in on both of the long sides and rolled into a spring roll shape. Do the same with the rest of the mixture. Sit on a baking tray and brush again with melted butter. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and crisp.