Turkish Lamb Pides Meet Cornish Pasties

Traditional pides use a yeast dough but that takes a bit longer to make so I use a Cornish pasty flaky pastry crust. If you don’t have time or the inclination to make pastry just use frozen puff pastry.

These are fantastic in lunch boxes for the boys and I usually make double batches and freeze half individually wrapped in foil for an easy lunch or snack another day.

Makes 8 pides.

Ingredients

15-30mls olive oil

500g minced lamb

1 onion, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon Za’atar

2 teaspoons sumac

pinch of chilli flakes

Salt and pepper

4 tomatoes, deseeded and diced finely

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

1 egg, beaten

300g plain flour

150g butter, finely diced

120mls water

Method

Start by making the pastry.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and butter, add the water and mix gently until it comes together.

Flour your work surface, lay the pastry out and roll into a rectangle, around 10-15cm by 30cm.

Fold the bottom third up on itself and repeat with the top third, turn the pastry one quarter and repeat, rolling into a large rectangle and folding back down, repeat this another 6 times.

Wrap on cling film and set aside in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 180degrees Centigrade.

Heat the oil in a large pan, over medium heat.

Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly until softened.

Turn the heat to high and add the meat, Za’atar, sumac and chilli, cook until the meat is totally browned and the liquid has evaporated.

Remove from the heat and add the diced fresh tomatoes and parsley.

Take the pastry and cut into eight pieces.

Roll one piece out into a rough circle, spoon one eighth of the meat onto the lower half of the circle.

Paint around the edges with the beaten egg, fold over and using a pinching method seal the pastry, folding it upwards back upon itself.

Repeat with the remaining pides.

Brush with beaten egg and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 mins until golden.