Shish Barak

I don’t often write about food but I would like to more. I was back in Edinburgh over Easter and my brother cooked us all something called Shish Barak a dish from Lebanon. The recipe comes from the excellent book Arabesque by Claudia Roden. Much to my surprise there is even a Lebanese restaurant in Helsinki called Farouge on Yrjönkatu 6, (+358 9 6123455). Which must be worth investigating. Anyway I copied down the recipe for Shish Barak and now I only have to find somewhere to buy my Pomegranate Molasses.

Shish Barak from Kamal Mouzawak serves 6 as a main course.

Ingrediants

Filling

• 2 Large Onions
• 3 Tablespoons of Sunflower oil
• 75g Pine Nuts
• 500g Lean minced Beef/Lamb
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste
• 2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1-2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

Pastry

• 6 sheets of filo pastry(170g ish)
• 85g Butter, melted

Sauce & Garnish

• 1 kg Natural Yogurt (note this was too much when my brother cooked it try half!)
• salt
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of crushed dried mint

Cooking Instructions

For the filling fry the onions until golden. Add the meat, salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, then pomegranate molasses and cook for a couple of minutes. In a small pan fry the pine nuts in a drop of oil for a short time then add the meat and let cool.

Cut the filo pastry sheets into half, into 2 rectangles approx 30x24cm and pile on top with long side nearest to you. Brush the top sheet with melted butter. Put a line of filling about 3-4 tablespoons, along the long edge, to about 2cm from each end, and roll up into a long thin roll. Then shape the roll into a tight coil, creasing it a little as youo do, so the pastry does not tear, and place it on a piece of foil (not greased) on a baking tray. Repeat with the remaining filo and the filling, placing the coils next to each other so that they are held tight. Brush the tops with melted butter.

About 30 mins before you are ready to serve, bake the pies in an oven pre-heated to 200 c 400f gas 6 for about 25 mins until golden.

For the sauce, beat the yoghurt with a little salt and the garlic, for the garnish, mix the olive oil and the dried mint. Serve the pies as they come out of the oven. Pour about 3 tablespoons ypghurt over each, and dribble a little of minty olive oil.

Variation

For Kamal’s veg. filling fry 4 large onions in 4 tablespoons oil until brown, add 150g, pine nuts, salt, papper, 3 tablespoons of ground mixed spices (cinnamon, alllspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cumin,) and 1 1/2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses.