Middle Eastern Lamb Filo Pastry
The light, airy feel of the flakey, crispy Fillo against the rich aromatic spiced Lamb makes this Indian inspired Middle Eastern Lamb Pastry a winner. Using Fillo is a quick and easy alternative to making your own dough. I serve this as dinner with Raita and Veggies or as an afternoon snack with friends. Great for entertaining and as part of a Mezze.
I had this Pastry at Duke of York Square farmers market this summer in London and had to recreate it.
Fillo comes with its own intricacies so I urge you to read the recipe in full, including the ‘Fillo Dough Handling Tips’ below for best results. Have patience when forming your triangles, it took me a few tries. Now that I’m adept, I’m excited to experiment with other fillings.
Organic Ingredients: Makes approx. 20 Pastries
1 Lb Pack Organic Fillo Dough: Approx. 18 sheets 13” x 18”
1 Lb Minced Lamb
1 Large Onion
1.5 Cups Frozen Peas
1 Tsp. Paprika
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tsp. Garam Masala
1 Tsp .Turmeric
1 Tsp. Cumin
1 Tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
1/4 Tsp. Black Pepper
2 Tbsps. Extra Virgin Olive Oil for cooking Lamb
1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil for brushing onto Pastries
1/4 Cayenne (optional if you want it a little spicy)
Quick Home made Raita
2 Cups Greek Yoghurt
1 Persian Cucumber (if on the large size, 2 if small) or 1 Cup English Cucumber diced small
3 Tbsps. Finely chopped Cilantro, leaves only
3/4 Tsp. Cumin
3/4 Tsp. Garam Masala
3/4 Tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
You could also serve Mango Chutney with this.
Method:
Cook Lamb Filling as pictured with steps below. Once Lamb is ready, read the entire recipe below including the Fillo Dough Handling Tips* . Watch the two videos linked, and commence with the next step.
Take 2 sheets of Fillo placed evenly on top of each other and cut lengthwise into 4 x 4.5” strips. Brush a thin layer of Olive Oil all over your Fillo strips. Now you can fill your Fillo and roll them into triangles. To do this watch this video from the 1 minute 10 second mark. Note that he has thinner strips than we do for smaller triangles. The size of your strips don’t matter but I have 4 x 4.5” strips easiest to work with.
*Fillo Dough Handling Tips: Fillo dries out quickly so its important to prepare all recipe ingredients first. Only unwrap your Fillo once you’re ready use. Remove only the number of sheets you will be using for your recipe. You’ll need approx. 10 sheets for this recipe. Leftover sheets can be rerolled, sealed in a plastic bag and refrozen for up to 3 weeks or refrigerated for a few days. Lay Fillo for this recipe on a flat surface and cover with wax paper or a kitchen cloth so that they don’t dry out. Fillo sheets are super thin and can tear in places; use 2 sheets at a time to compensate for any tears.
Here is a video of me making this recipe. It took me a few tries to get the hang of this; once you get it, its simple.
Once your Pastries are rolled, place onto a baking sheet covered with Parchment Paper and brush with a little Olive Oil. Bake in a 350f oven for approx. 25 minutes or until Golden. Remove from oven and enjoy with Raita. I love drizzling Honey on top of my Raita and Pastry before eating, but I’m the only one in my family who likes this.
To make Raita mix all ingredients in a bowl.
Ingredients, mise en place. Please ignore the Egg Wash here, I was on the phone while setting out my ingredients and meant to put out 1 cup of Olive Oil instead.
Ground Spices for Lamb Mixture
Begin by sautéing Onion for 7 minutes on medium high heat. Then add Ground Spices.
Cook for 2-3 minutes more before adding Beef.
Brown Beef breaking it down with your wooden spoon (approx 5 minutes). Add frozen Peas and stir. Once the Peas heat up and the mixture begins to bubble reduce heat to low and cover. Leave to cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
Pastries ready for oven. Bake in a 350f oven for 25 minutes…
Until golden.
Serve with home made Raita
Raita ready to be mixed
I like adding a little Honey to my Raita but I’m the only one in my house that likes it this way.