From foreign corps
Diplomat and foodie Ameer Kotecha has collated recipes from British embassies all over the world in the Palace-approved Platinum Jubilee Cookbook to honour 70 years of the Queen’s reign. Photography by David Loftus.
fat rectangle. Roll out the dough (in one direction only) until it is about 20cm x 50cm. Try to keep the edges straight, and don’t worry if you can see streaks of butter – it should look a little “marbled”.
Fold the top one third of your dough rectangle down over the middle third and then fold the bottom third up and over that. Give the pastry a quarter turn and then roll it out again until it is about three times its starting length. Fold in thirds as before and then wrap the dough in cling film again and chill it again for at least 20 minutes, or until the beef is ready.
Once the beef is cooked, tip out any excess water and then pound the beef with a meat mallet or heavy wooden spoon until it has a “shredded” appearance.
When you’re ready to assemble, preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board until it is about 60cm x 30cm, and then cut it in half lengthways.
Spread a thin layer of mustard over both pieces of pastry (more if you like more bite), leaving a 2cm border around the edges. Then divide your seswaa (shredded beef ) in half, and use each half to form a “sausage” along the longer edge of your pastry pieces. Paint the edge of your pastry with the beaten egg, then wrap the pastry around your seswaa sausages. Press the tines of a fork along the join, to make sure the filling is tightly sealed. Then, use a sharp knife to cut each roll into pieces of the desired size – around 2-3cm is good for finger food, but it’s really up to you.
Brush some more of the egg wash over the tops of the rolls and then place them on a lined baking tray and cook them in the oven for 25-35 minutes (depending how large they are), or until the pastry is puffed up and golden and the filling is piping hot. Serve warm.