Samosas Three Ways
Samosas are one of my favorite snacks! They come in many different forms, baked, fried, meat filled, vegetarian, spicy, mild, the possibilities are pretty much endless. Recently I happened to score a bunch of carrots and turnips from the farmer’s market so I tried out these variations of these lil’ treats. I always intend to make a bunch and freeze some but to be honest NONE of this batch made it to the freezer! Whoops and yum!
I have adapted this recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks “Made in India” by Meera Sodha. I try to cook with as many organic and locally sourced ingredients as possible, but do you boo! Note: I cook a ton but this is one of my first attempts at typing up one of my own recipes. I welcome feedback and tips on how to make the layout of this recipe better or easier to understand! Thanks in advance for your constructive comments.
Caramelized Onion and Jam
1 Med White Onion, sliced thin
1 ½ TBS Pear Jam (I was lucky enough to have some homemade Pear Jam, but store bought would be delicious too)
2 TBS Feta Cheese
1 TBS *Apricot Balsamic Vinegar
2 TBS *Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pink Sea Salt
-Heat the EVOO in a nonstick pan on medium heat. When the oil is hot, pour in the thinly sliced onions. Add the Apricot Balsamic and some pink sea salt and stir, let the onions caramelize, 10 minutes or less. The onions are done when they have softened and are slightly brown, they will smell AMAZING. Set aside 1 TBS of the onions for the Turnip and feta Samosas (if making).
-Mix the Caramelized onions with the feta in a small bowl. Add in the Pear jam. Season with pink salt to taste. YUM!
Roasted Carrot
1 Bunch Small Carrots (about 8), washed, roasted and diced
2 TBS Plain Greek Yogurt (I like full fat)
(Optional) *Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar, for roasting
(Optional) ½ TBS *Vanilla Balsamic Vinegar
*Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Ground Pepper
1 TSP Garam Masala
Pink Sea Salt
-Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
-Slice the carrots in half lengthwise and place on a lined baking sheet. Coat them with a few glugs of EVOO and drizzle some Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar (about a tablespoon), if you don’t have strawberry balsamic, a good aged balsamic will do. Sprinkle the carrots with pink salt and pepper and toss to coat them in the mixture.
-Bake for 20 minutes. When done let cool a bit and dice.
-Mix the roasted carrots, Greek yogurt, Garam Masala, Vanilla Balsamic (if using) together in a small bowl. Add pink salt and pepper to taste.
Turnip and Feta
10 Small-Med Sized Turnips, quartered and boiled
2 TBS Feta Cheese
1 TBS Caramelized Onions (Use some from above recipe)
*Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pink Sea Salt
-Scrub, quarter and boil the turnips until soft (10-15 minutes). Make the water taste like the ocean. This way your turnips will absorb some of the salt while boiling.
-Strain the turnips and place in bowl with a couple of glugs of EVOO. Add in the feta and the caramelized onions. mash the mixture together and add a bit more pink salt to taste.
Assembling the Samosas
1 Package Phyllo Dough, thawed
Water, to seal Samosas (Can also use melted butter)
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
-Carefully unroll the Phyllo dough and lay flat on a work surface.
-Slice the Phyllo into three sections long ways, then five sections across (Making 15 Lil’ Phyllo square stacks)
-Place a small scoop of filling of choice onto the phyllo square. Carefully separate the top few layers of the square and fold in the sides to make a triangle. It’s helpful to have a small dish of water to keep your fingers moist while you fold. Flip the triangle over and seal with the other few layers of the phyllo square. It takes a few tries to get into your own little Phyllo-foldin’-flow, but you’ll get there. Repeat until all of your Phyllo squares are made into Samosas. I did about five of each flavor.
Place Samosas on a tinfoil lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until they turn golden.
ENJOY YOUR CREATIONS!
*Note: I am very fond of Bodacious Olive products. They carry extremely high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oils and aged Balsamic Vinegar’s. You can order products from them online if you live in the United States. If you're not using Bodacious products make sure you are using a true Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I advise against buying any “EVOO” from grocery stores as they are mostly rancid due to improper storage. More on this in another post! Photo credit: "Made in India", Meera Sodha.