This recipe is inspired by Northern Africa where you will often find savory meat pastries. I learned to make Bastilla while volunteering in Morocco last year and fell in love with it. Bastilla is a pastry made with phyllo and layers of spiced ground chicken, omelets, almond paste and powdered sugar. It requires some skill to keep it all together but is not as hard as it looks.
With my bounty of blueberries, I created my own sweet and spicy meat pastry. These make wonderful entrees for that special date night or you can do a smaller appetizer sized version for a party.
Makes: 4 pastries
Total Time: 5 hours (Prep: 1 hour, Inactive: 45 minutes)
For the lamb:
Place chutney in the center of the lamb mixture on phyllo sheets
1 lb lamb, ground
2 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger
1 green chili
1 medium onion
3 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the blueberry chutney:
Ground lamb & blueberry chutney stuffed in phyllo pastry
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon ground clove
1 teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup water
For the pastry:
1 lb phyllo dough, thawed
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. In a food processor, grind the onion, garlic, ginger and green chili. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the ground lamb and the spices. Mix well and set aside.
To make the blueberry chutney, place a medium saucepan on high heat. Add the oil and let heat. Then fry the cumin seeds for 1 minute. Add the rest of the ingredients. Once the liquid comes to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Let cool completely before moving on to the next step. The chutney can be prepared ahead of time & stored in refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Spread parchment paper on a large cookie sheet. Prepare an egg wash by lightly beating the egg with water. Using 2-3 layers of phyllo sheets at a time, brush the egg wash lightly on each layer. Alternate horizontal & vertical sheets so you have 4 solid layers of 2-3 phyllo sheets each.
Place 2/3 cup of the lamb meat mixture in the center of the prepared dough in a circular shape. With your fingers, create a small dent in the middle of the meat. Carefully place 2 tablespoons of the chutney into this indent. Close the pastry by wrapping the meat with the sheets, in the shape of a pentagon. Make sure to fold even number of sheets on top and under the meat patty, always brushing with the egg mixture. Repeat the process so you have 4 pastries.
Once you have a nicely wrapped pastry, brush the top with more egg. Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until crispy.
