Serves 4
“The Messy Baker” author Charmian Christie uses 14-by-18-inch phyllo sheets, as instructed here. If you can only find 9-by-14-inch sheets, you can still follow the recipe. Only put about 2 tablespoons of filling in each one (rather than the ¼ cup below).
FILLING
| 1 | tablespoon vegetable oil |
| 1 | medium onion, finely chopped |
| 2 | cloves garlic, grated |
| Salt and black pepper, to taste | |
| 1 | pound lean ground lamb |
| 1 | tablespoon ground cumin |
| 1 | teaspoon ground coriander |
| ½ | teaspoon each ground ginger, paprika, ground cinnamon, turmeric, and crushed red pepper |
| Grated rind of ½ lemon | |
| ½ | cup chopped fresh cilantro |
| ¼ | cup chopped dried apricots |
| ¼ | cup pine nuts or sliced almonds, toasted in a dry skillet |
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1. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic, salt, and black pepper and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the lamb, cumin, coriander, ginger, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, red pepper, and lemon rind. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
2. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan and transfer to a bowl; cool. Stir in the cilantro, apricots, and nuts.
PHYLLO
| 1 | package (16 ounces) phyllo sheets, defrosted |
| ½ | cup vegetable oil or 1 stick butter, melted |
| Black or white sesame seeds (for sprinkling) |
1. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Have on hand a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Lightly dampen a clean kitchen towel. Open the phyllo sheets on the counter and cover them with the towel. Use 1 sheet at a time. Set the sheet on the counter and brush lightly with oil or butter. Bring the short sides toward the middle to make 1 long strip that is 3 layers thick. Place ¼ cup of the filling (or about 2 tablespoons on smaller phyllo sheets) at the bottom in the center, about ½ inch from the bottom edge. Fold the bottom edge over the filling and roll the bundle toward the top a couple of times. Halfway to the top, fold the left and right edges over the center. Finish rolling the bundle and set seams down on the baking sheet. Brush with oil or butter. Continue filling and folding the remaining bundles until they are all done. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the phyllo is golden all over. Adapted from “The Messy Baker”
