(Finger Food by Elsa Petersen-Schepelern)

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 oz. pine nuts
8 oz. ground lamb
1 onion, grated
1 garlic cloved, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 lb. ready-made shortcrust pastry dough (or make your own)
1 egg, beaten with water, to glaze
Salt and pepper, to taste
Extra chopped parsley and sea salt, to serve (optional)

Heat oven to 350

Heat the oil in a skillet, add the pine nuts, and stir-fry them quickly until golden, about 30 seconds.

Put the meat, onion, garlic, parsley, and pine nuts in a bowl and mix well. Add some salt and pepper. Set aside.

Roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Using a long ruler and a sharp knife, trim the edges straight, then cut the dough into long strips about 1 1/2-inch wide, then across to make squares.

Brush egg glaze down two opposite sides of the square, then put about 1/2 teaspoon of filling in the middle of the square. Fold in half, with the glazed edges upwards, and place on a work surface with the open side upward. Widen the opening to show the filling and make a boat shape, then tap the boat on the work surface to flatten the bottom. Pinch up the prow and stern to force up the filling.

Put the boats close together in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and still moist.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with extra parsley and sea salt, if using.

(adapted from The Best Recipe)

2 1/2 cups AP flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp table salt
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
6 Tbsp vegetable shortening, chilled
6-8 Tbsp ice water

Pulse flour and salt together in food processor. Add the butter and pulse to combine, about five 1-second pulses. Add the shortening and pulse about five more times or until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with butter bits no larger than small peas. Empty mixture into a medium bowl.

Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture. With a spatula, fold to combine. Press down on dough with the spatula to make it stick together. Add up to 2 tablespoons more water if this isn’t happening. Divide the dough in half, flatten each into about a 4-inch wide disk, and wrap them separately in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days before rolling them out.

1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts (not marinated!), drained & mashed
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Ritz crackers, to serve

Heat oven to 350. Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and cream cheese. Add the artichoke hearts, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Top with the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until browned on top and bubbly. Serve with Ritz crackers.

(A little bit of Tabasco might be nice in this, just a thought.)

slight variations on a recipe from Finger Food by Elsa Petersen-Schepelern

2 potatoes, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
Vegetable or canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup corn kernals (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup shelled peas (fresh or frozen)
4 oz. paneer or mozzarella cheese
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 red chiles, seeded and chopped
Pinch of chile powder
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
15-20 sheets ready-made phyllo pastry, thawed
melted butter (amount needed will vary depending on how much you brush on the phyllo)

To make the filling, cook the potatoes and carrots in boiling salted water until just cooked, about 3-5 minutes. Drain.

Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a wok or pan (or just use the pot you were using to boil the other ingredients) and cook the onion until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, carrot, corn, and peas and cook for another minute.

Off heat, stir in the cheese, cilantro, chile peppers, chile powder, lime juice, and salt. Let cool.

Heat the oven to 350.

Unwrap the phyllo dough and put 1 sheet on a work surface. Keep the rest covered with a damp cloth while you work. Cut the sheet of pastry in half and brush the sheets with melted butter. Fold each half into 3, lengthwise, buttering between, making each into a long thin strip.

Put 1 Tbsp filling at one corner of a strip. Fold the corner over to form a triangle. Continue folding up until the filling is encolsed and the whole strip of pastry has been used. Repeat until all the phyllo and filling has been used up. (I ended up with filling leftover because I ripped 2 sheets of phyllo unforgiveably and couldn’t use them. It tasted pretty good on its own.)

(Optionally, you can not brush them everywhere with butter and just use a little butter to seal them up after filling and folding. I went through 2 sticks, and it just seemed a little excessive to me. They tasted fine [and were less greasy and fatty] with using only a little bit.)

Space the samosas apart on a parchment-lined or greased rimmed baking sheet (the butter will run everywhere, it’s good to have the lip). Brush each with more butter (totally optional). Bake for 15 minutes. (Alternatively, you could pan-fry them. Whatever.)