Spiced Lamb, Sultanas And Pine Nuts In Filo Pastry

I went to a Turkish food specialist with my dear friend A over the weekend to pick up some whey for a an eggplant dip she was planning to make. No whey to be found but I ended up buying a packet of filo pastry without knowing what I was going to do with that. It was after all a 37 degress C day so I thought I should at least get something to justify the bike ride. I must confess I have never used filo pastry before but everyone seemed to be very happy with the end result. I found out later that one of the tummies has had a similar dish with rabbit just a few nights before in a restaurant,  the verdict is my dish is almost as good as the rabbit version ;)

serves 4 generously

for the spiced lamb filling;

1kg of minced lamb

2 onions, finely diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbs of cumin powder

2 tbs of coriander powder

1 tbs of cinnamon powder

1 to 2 tbs of hot paprika powder

1 tsp of turmeric powder

3 tbs of yoghurt

salt and pepper to taste

chopped coriander leaves

5 tbs of sultanas

5 tbs of pinenut, toasted

for the yoghurt sauce;

3/4 of a cup of Greek yoghurt

a handful of mint leaves, finely shredded

1/2 tbs of cumin powder

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tbs of grated lemon rind

salt and pepper to taste

you'll also need;

12 sheets of filo pastry

100g of butter, melted

4 zucchini, sliced lengthwise and grilled

finely diced chilies for garnish

Saute onion and garlic til lightly brown then add in the minced lamb and continue to cook til lamb is no longer pink. Add spices and tomato puree and cook for 5 minutes.

Add yoghurt and fry for a further 5 minutes or until the mixture is slightly dry. Sultanas, chopped parsley and toasted pinenuts are added and fry for a further 5 minutes. Check for seasonings.

Use 3 sheets of filo pastry for each roll, brushing each sheet with melted butter. Place 1/4 of the cooled mince mixture and roll it up neatly.

Place the rolls in an oiled baking tray, brush some butter over each roll and bake in a preheated oven at 170 degress C for 20 minutes. Meanwhile heat up the bbq and grill sliced zucchini for a minute on each side. season to taste.

Place some grilled zucchini on a plate, slice each roll into thirds and arrange neatly on top of the zucchini. Finally drizzle some yoghurt sauce over and garnish with diced chilies and parsley leaves.

A Tabbouleh salad would pair very nicely with this dish.