These savoury, filled pastries, called Sambusaks are relatives of the samosa. Different incarnations can be found all over the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean. They have quite a history and can be traced back to 9th century Persian poetry where they were referred to as sanbusaj.
Traditionally these type of pastries were vegetarian and indeed ours were too until we threw in some crispy speck lardons. We’ve made a break from tradition with the pastry too, using our gluten-free cream cheese pastry.
Our Sambusaks may not be by the book but I’m sure you will fall in love with their fabulous, rich, slightly flakey pastry and delicious spinach, feta, pinenut and bacon filling.
Serve them as an entrée or for brunch or lunch. You can even make tiny versions for a pre-dinner treat and have your guests wax lyrically about them.
Rosie
SAMBUSAKS
Makes 10
Pastry
150 gm cold butter, diced
250 gm cream cheese, diced
280 gm Revenge Gluten-free plain flour (see below)
4 gm guar gum or psyllium husks
Place butter and cream cheese in a food processor and pulse to bring together. When combined, add flours and guar gum or phyllium husks and process. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary until the pastry comes together.
Turn onto baking paper and knead for several minutes, dusting with extra white rice flour if necessary.
Refrigerate for an hour or more. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces (around 62gm each) and roll into balls.
In between two sheets of baking paper, roll out the balls into disks about 15cm in diameter. Return to the fridge until ready for use. The pastry will freeze well at this stage.
Filling
350 gm spinach leaves
200 gm speck or bacon, cubed
2 eggs, whisked
150 gm goats milk feta
2 teaspoons baking powder
35 gm parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons pinenuts, toasted
Freshly ground black pepper
Wilt the spinach leaves in boiling water, drain and cool. Place on a clean cloth, wrap and squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible.
Fry the speck or bacon cubes until crispy. Cool.
Reserve 2 tablespoons of the whisked eggs for sealing and glazing. Process remainder along with spinach, feta, baking powder and parmesan in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and fold in bacon, pinenuts and black pepper to taste.
To Assemble and Cook
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line baking trays with baking paper.
Place around 2 tablespoons of spinach mixture onto each of the pastry disks. Brush the edges of the pastry with reserved whisked egg and fold the pastry disks in half enclosing the filling. Press down on the edges to seal. Make a small hole or slash in the top of the pastry to allow steam to escape. Transfer to prepared baking tray, brush pastries with whisked egg and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
REVENGE GLUTEN-FREE PLAIN FLOUR MIX
450 gm fine white rice flour
150 gm fine brown rice flour
160 gm tapioca flour
260 gm potato starch (not flour)
Mix up a batch and store in an airtight container.