Samosas

Nice veggie samosas =D Two will make a great lunch, or you could serve it as finger food at a Christmas party... and as we come to the end of another year, don't forget to look at all of 2013's recipes too! (I've updated some with more photos, such as the pear pies... traditional bakes we will continue to make every year)

Squash Samosas
Prep time: 1 hour
Serves: 20
Cooking temp: Gas 6, 200C
Cooking time: 35 minutes
 
Ingredients
600g peeled and diced squash such as pumpkin or butternut squash, or potato
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsps olive oil
1/2 tsp fennel seeds (whole)
60g chopped onion
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
 60g frozen peas
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Packet of 20 filo pastry sheets
3 tbsps melted unsalted butter, for brushing

Method

1. Heat up a large pan of water, and boil the squash until soft enough to mash (get on with the rest whilst this happens).
   
2. In a small bowl, combine the ground spices. Prepare the other ingredients (chopping ginger and onion, etc)
   
3. Heat up the oil in a small frying pan and add the fennel seeds for a few seconds, until spitting.
4. Cook the onion and ginger for 2 minutes, moving about constantly.
   
5.  Pour in the peas, lemon juice and the mixed spices, and cook for a few minutes.
6. Mash the squash up and stir through the pea mixture. 
   
7. Preheat the oven to Gas 6, 200C
8. On a clean surface, lay out a sheet of filo pastry. 
   
9. Fold one third length ways towards the middle.
   
10. Fold the other edge over so they line up, and you have a triple-layered strip.
    
11. In the bottom left hand corner, spoon a teaspoon's worth of mixture.
    
12. Fold the long strip above down at right angles, so it aligns with the bottom edge to form a triangle.
    
13. Continue to fold this way, lining up the edges each time (see pictures) and so all edges are eventually 'sealed' in.
    

    

    1. Fold the pastry behind in a straight like

    

    2. Flip up the triangle, taking care with the open edge than nothing spills out

    

    3. Fold over the flap of filo

    

    4. Fold the last bit to seal and make a triangle!

    
    

    

    5. Ana's exemplar =D

14. Brush with melted butter and arrange on a baking tray or two, lined with a baking sheet.
    
15.  (You can sprinkle over a few seeds if you wish, such as poppy or sesame)
16. Cook for 30 minutes, turning them over half way.