The Sunday Times Magazine - UK (2020-11-08)

46 • The Sunday Times Magazine

3

Elsewhere in the region fillings are

typically beef, lamb, pumpkin,

spinach or potatoes. But in

Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s capital and

largest city, there are chickpea

ones and, in the springtime,

herb-filled variations. This recipe

combines the two. Samsa or

sambusa are always eaten with

green tea, and this is especially the

case if they’re lamb because the

tea cuts through the fat.

MAKES

15 sambusa

INGREDIENTS

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1 x 400g can of chickpeas, drained

3 tbsp mint leaves, roughly chopped

Handful of spinach

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dill seeds (optional)

Flour, for dusting

1 x 320g packet of puff pastry

1 small egg, beaten

1 tsp black sesame seeds, to garnish

(optional)

01 Heat the oven to 180C (200C

non-fan) and line a large baking

tray (or two smaller trays) with

greaseproof paper.

02 Put the onion into a food

processor and pulse a few times,

then add 100g of the chickpeas,

the mint and spinach, and pulse

so it comes together. Put the

mixture into a large bowl and

mix in 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt,

1 teaspoon of pepper, the cumin,

dill seeds if using, and the

remaining unpulsed chickpeas.

03 Lightly flour the work surface

and the pastry and roll it out to

37cm x 28cm. Using an 8cm

cutter, stamp out 15 rounds then

put 1 teaspoon of the filling in the

middle of each one and bring up

the edges to create a triangle

shape. Press to seal, creating a

samosa-style triangle. Repeat with

the remaining pastry.

04 Place the sambusa on a baking

tray seam-side down. Brush each

one with the eggwash and scatter

over the black sesame seeds or

a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and a

few grindings of black pepper,

if you like. Bake for 15 min then,

when the pastry has fully risen,

lower the oven temperature to

its lowest setting and bake for

a further 10-15 min, until the layers

are dry and crispy.

Breakfast

zapekanka

This light cake marries beautifully

with a not-too-sweet conserve. It’s

handy for when you’d like to serve

something a bit different for

breakfast or afternoon tea. Tvorog,

a soft curd cheese, can be bought in

Polish shops or large supermarkets.

MAKES

1 cake

INGREDIENTS

100g unsalted butter, softened, plus

extra for greasing

100g granulated sugar

275g full-fat tvorog

2 medium eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp sour cream

200g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

Sour cream, to serve

Thin jam or conserve, to serve

01 Heat the oven to 150C (170C

non-fan) and grease a 1kg loaf tin

with a little butter. In a large bowl

beat the butter and sugar together

until light and fluffy. Add the

tvorog, eggs, vanilla and sour

cream. Mix well — it will have the

consistency of cottage cheese at

this stage. Sift in the flour and

baking powder, add ½ tsp salt and

mix to combine. It will be quite a

thick batter, but transfer it to the

tin and smooth off the top as best

you can (a palette works well).

02 Bake for 50-60 min, but check

on it halfway through. If the top

looks to be catching, take the cake

out of the oven and tent it with foil

then put it back in. When golden

on top and a skewer comes out

clean, remove from the oven, but

leave in the tin until completely

cool. To serve, add a spoonful of

sour cream and pour over a little

jam. To store, keep it wrapped in

foil. Warm gently to serve again.

Breakfast zapekanka

Dushanbe sambusa