Pastry indulgence to savour

PEA SAMBUSAK & MIDDLE-EASTERN KETCHUP

By Chick+Pea

EVERY time we visit my partner’s homeland of Malta each morning for breakfast we sit down to a bottomless mountain of flaky pastries filled with pea and ricotta.

The recipe below has a nod to the British classic of mushy pea and ketchup with just the right level of fried finger-licking indulgence.

Chick+Pea will be at Edinburgh Food Festival which runs from the july 26 to 30 in George Square Gardens in Edinburgh. For more information visit http://www.edfoodfest.com.

(Serves 4/5 as a starter)

INGREDIENTS

Pastry

150ml warm water 250g white bread flour 50ml olive oil

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt Filling

1 tin marrow fat peas (330g) 1 carrot (cubed)

1 onion

1 tbsp curry powder

1 veg stock cube mixed with water

Ketchup

1 tin chopped tomatoes 75g sugar

3 star anise

2 whole cloves 2 cinnamon sticks

2 tsp tomato paste juice of half lemon salt

METHOD

1 Pour flour, olive oil, sugar and honey into a bowl and slowly mix in the water until a dough is formed. Cover and leave for 15 minutes.

2 Lightly knead until you feel the gluten loosen up, return dough to bowl and put in fridge for one hour or until needed. This will keep for a couple of days.

3 For the ketchup add all of the ingredients to a saucepan and cook on a medium heat for one hour.

4 For the filling slice the onion however you like. Put in a saucepan and slowly simmer for 15 minutes, add the curry powder, simmer for another 15 minutes. The longer you sauté the curry powder the better, if the onion starts to burn then add a little water.

5 Add the peas, stock cube and carrot bring to boil for five minutes and then simmer for 45 minutes. Put to side and cool.

6 Take pastry out of the fridge and roll thinly. You do not want it to be too thin here as the filling will escape but too thick and the pastry will seem too much.

7 Use a cutter to make circle shapes, fill each circle with a teaspoon of filling and fold in half. Use a fork to make a pretty pattern to seal.

8 Heat a pan of vegetable oil to 180˚C and fry in batches until golden brown. Rest on a plate of kitchen roll.

9 Serve hot with ketchup.