Samsas (Sweet Nutty Samosas)

Ingredients:

For the filling:
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Finely grated zest and juice 1 orange
100g walnuts, finely chopped

For the pastry:
150g unsalted butter
270g pack filo pastry (7 sheets)
100g pistachios, finely chopped

For the syrup:
150g caster sugar

For the strawberry coulis:
227g strawberries (frozen and defrosted if not in season)
100g icing sugar
Squeeze of lemon juice

Method:

Pierce the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, then put on a plate and microwave on high for 10 minutes until very soft. Set aside to cool until they can be handled, then halve, scoop out all the flesh and put in a bowl. Mash to a smooth paste with the cinnamon, orange zest (keep the juice for the syrup) and walnuts. Set aside.

For the pastry, melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. As soon as it starts to bubble and brown flecks appear, you have browned the butter and it’s ready. Take off the heat.

Pre-heat your oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5 and have an oven tray ready.

Cut the filo sheets in half lengthways to create 14 strips, leaving the sheets under a clean damp tea towel to keep them moist when you’re not working with them.

Brush the browned butter over 2 filo sheets, then lay one on top of the other. Lay the strip sideways, take a dollop of the filling (one seventh of it) and put it at the bottom of one end of the strip. Fold the top corner over to create a triangle, encasing the filling. Now take the filled triangle and fold it over again. Keep going until you reach the end and have a fully encased triangle.

Prepare the other 6 parcels in the same way, then brush them all over with the leftover butter. Put on the baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.

Prepare the syrup by pouring the reserved orange juice into a pan with 100ml water and the caster sugar. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer until the syrup is thick and golden (about 10 minutes).

Take the samsas out of the oven and, using tongs, dip them straight into the syrup so they’re completely coated, then sprinkle with the pistachios and set aside.

For the strawberry coulis, put the strawberries, icing sugar and lemon juice in a food processor and blend. Serve with the samsas as a dip or drizzle it over them.