Recipe: Briouat B'Kefta - Lamb and Filo Cigars

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 brown onion finely chopped
• 350g lean minced lamb
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of saffron, soaked in warm water
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 egg
• 8 - 12 sheets filo pastry
• 90g butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Method

1. Heat oil in large fry pan, add onion and cook over low heat for 5 minutes until onion is soft.
2. Increase the heat and then add the lamb and garlic, breaking up any lumps of meat with a wooden spoon and cooking for 5 minutes.
3. Add the spices and coriander and parsley.
4. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute stirring continuously.
5. Transfer the lamb mixture to a sieve and drain to remove the fat.
6. Put the mixture in a bowl and allow to cool a little before mixing in the egg.
7. Remove 8 sheets of filo pastry from the pack.
8. Stack on a cutting surface with the longest side in front of you.
9. Measure and mark pastry into 3 even sized strips and cut through the 8 sheets with a sharp knife to give strips around 12cm wide and around 30 cm long.
10. Put the strips in folds of a dry tea towel.
11. Place a strip of filo on your work surface with the narrow end towards you.
12. Brush the strip with the melted butter.
13. Top with another strip.
14. Place 1 tablespoon of filling about 1xm in from the base and side of the strip.
15. Fold the end of the filo over the filling, fold in the sides and roll to the end of the strip.
16. Place on a greased baking tray, seam side down.
17. Repeat with the remaining mixture and filo.
18. Brush the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
19. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. (It's best to do this after the rolls are completed so that the kitchen stays cool while working with the filo).
20. Back the pastries for 15 minutes or until they are golden.

Note: Can be frozen, wrapped separately in gladwrap and stored in a container.