Daz Switalla Flavour Secrets No.1 The Strand Chef www.no1thestrand.co.nz

Filo pastry has been around in some form since the 11th century. It was traditionally made by stretching warm unleavened dough. My sister recalls helping stretch filo in a warmed room on a high table, that was in the late 80s.

Today, we buy our filo in a packet from the supermarket, bring it home, don't bother reading the directions, get distracted as we are preparing our pastries and wonder why our guests are covered in filo crumbs.
If there is a secret to filo – it's to follow the directions on the packet; keep covered, work quickly, don't answer the phone, butter each sheet, keep covered before cooking. And most important of all – use the whole packet. It never keeps for another try, no matter how hard you try and seal it up. It is interesting the most popular dishes on menus over the years have been with filo pastry. This week's recipe is no exception. Filo is Turkish in origin, but Greek in name. I have fond memories of filo pastry triangular pastries piled high in the markets and bazaars they were called a borek. This version is a blend of Kiwi, Greek and Turkish flavours and makes great use of lamb mince, yoghurt and silverbeet.

Lamb Borek with tatziki
Serves 4 people

4 large or 8 small triangles

Ingredients Borek:

500 grams lamb mince

1 red onion, diced

Large bunch silverbeet, chopped up fine

1 heaped tsp fennel seed

1 heaped tsp ground coriander seed

1 heaped tsp ground cumin seed

200 grams feta, crumbled

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

Fresh coriander

Salt pepper

Packet of filo pastry
Butter for brushing

Ingredients Tatziki:

250mls yoghurt plain Greek style

6 – that's right – 6 cloves of garlic

Few mint leaves

5cm piece of telecucumber

Olive oil
Salt

METHOD

Toast seeds in oven lightly before crushing in mortal and pestle and adding to the mince, red onion and silver beet. Lastly add the garlic to the oil, the lemon juice, the chopped coriander then the feta. Season then massage together and test run a blob in the microwave. Re-season after taste – I tend to add more cumin if anything. Prepare your pastry by folding each sheet lengthwise and forming a triangle as you roll up out desired amount of filling. The inside filing should be encased on first run, but use up to three sheets and butter each on separately. Once formed, sprinkle a little crushed coriander seed and bake at 220-250 degrees for twenty minutes until golden brown.

Meanwhile, grate cucumber and garlic cloves, sprinkle with salt to drain juice for 15 mins. Chop mint, add splash of olive oil to drained cucumber and garlic mix and stir into yoghurt to serve alongside your borek – which always smell amazing piping hot from the oven. Serve this dish by the fire with a glass of merlot. The garlic will keep those colds at bay and you can serve them cold the next day should you have any left.