I made these little pastries using the Persian Quince Jam from last post but you could use any jam you like. I have used this lovely fig & honey compote before too which is great if you don’t like using sugary jams.
Sambouseks are little samosa-like pastries that are normally savoury and filled with meat or cheese. I made these savoury Fig & Feta Sambouseks before, so this is just a little step in a sweeter direction. The picture below is of the savoury sambouseks and demonstrates the folding technique.
Sweet Quince, Fennel Seed & Pistachio Sambousek Pastries Recipe
Makes 16-20 pastries. Vegetarian/Vegan.
- 225 g (1 1/2 cups) white spelt flour (or normal)
- 4 tbsp olive oil plus extra for brushing
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp sugar
- 110 ml (1/2 cup) warm water
- jam/compote/carne de membrillo
- feta cheese or ricotta or queso fresco (optional)
- honey or agave syrup
- a handful of pistachios, very finely chopped
Sieve the flour sugar and salt into a large bowl then stir in the fennel seeds. Add the olive oil, mixing it in with a fork then make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the warm water. With your hand, fold the flour into the water, turning the bowl as you go until you get a sticky dough.
Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, 1 or 2 minutes. Wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 180C and line two baking sheets with parchment brushed with a little oil.
Flour your work surface and rolling-pin and roll the dough out until it is about 2mm thick. Cut out small circles about 3 inches in diameter (use a floured cutter or a glass). Lift the excess pastry away from the circles and re-roll it and cut out more circles. Keep doing this until you have used most of the dough. You should get 16-20 in total depending on the thickness of your dough.
Put the circles on the lined baking tray and, using a teaspoon place a small amount of jam in the centre of the circle and top with a little cheese (if using). Lift up the two opposite edges and seal them above the filling. Seal the two other ends by pinching them together to create a four-cornered sambousek. (See picture above). They can be refrigerated at this point if necessary.
Brush the tops of the sambouseks with a little olive oil and bake for 15 -25 minutes until golden and cooked. Leave to cool slightly then brush the tops with honey or agave syrup and dip them in the finely chopped pistachios.
Serve the sweet sambouseks warm or at room temperature with a glass of fresh mint tea or Turkish coffee.
Enjoy!!
These look divine, no quince down here I am afraid but I can dream! c
That looks delicious!
right up mi calle guapa, bit scared of the pastry thing, you know my track record. Maybe I could persuade some poor unsuspecting sole. I think I’ve used them all up dahling ?? xx
These sound delicious!
I love the pistachios on the joins. They look excellent. Beautiful photography, as always.
Best,
Conor
These sound fabulous! Such an interesting combo!
Beautiful pastries!
These look wonderful! You can’t go wrong with the jam and cheese combination, and the pistachio topping makes them so fancy and appetizing.
These are regal! I would love to serve these…I’d feel very accomplished! :-) I love samosas, and these are a cut above any I’ve ever had before! :-)
I totally had to google what a quince was just now – not sure if they’re available down here!! Your Sambousek look very cute though and I think I’ll try them with some savoury filing:)