The first time we prepare a recipe, we believe it is important to follow the instructions carefully in order to ensure that it gets a fair trial. The second time, we feel licensed to experiment, to substitute and to embellish as our mood takes us.
The first time that we prepared Crimini Mushrooms and Walnut Samosas, a recipe sent to us by a very adventurous cook in Portland who wrote that the recipe was developed by Meera Sodha , we proclaimed that the samosas were extraordinarily good for several reasons: they were as cute as they could be, they were delicious, they were convenient because they could be frozen and baked when we wanted to serve them, and they were surprisingly quick and easy to prepare.
And, for Steven and me, there is one more important aspect of this recipe. We realized that these pastry bundles could hold a filling of wild mushrooms that we would forage in our retreat, along with hazelnuts which are grown in the valleys up north. Wouldn't that combination be delightful, we thought!
One last comment: we found that we had more filling than phyllo dough. What a gift this turned out to be. We used some of the leftover filling to stuff chicken breasts and we tucked what remained into salmon steaks. We marveled at how this mushroom and walnut filling complimented both fowl and fish!
We're looking forward to making samosas with
a wild mushroom filling in the months to come.
Crimini Mushroom and Walnut Samosas
1 1/4 cups walnuts (5 ounces)
3 cups crimini mushrooms, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds (plus extra, to garnish)
1 large yellow onion, diced
1-inch chunk fresh ginger, grated
6 large cloves garlic, mined
2 Serrano or jalapeno chilies, finely chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 ounces phyllo dough (1/2 of a 16 ounce package)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a food processor, pulse the walnuts until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl, then add the mushrooms to the processor and pulse until reduced to pea-sized chunks. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium, heat the oil. Add the cumin and nigella seeds. When the seeds start to sizzle in the hot oil, add the onion and cook for 8 minutes, or until starting to soften and brown. Add the ginger, garlic and chilies, then cook for another 5 minutes, or until the onions are darkened.
- Add the mushrooms and gently fold into the onion mixture. Season with salt and pepper, then cook for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid evaporates. There should only be the tiniest trace of liquid in the bottom of the pan. Once the onions and mushrooms are ready, add the walnuts. Cook for another 3 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool while you get your samosa station ready.
- Line 2 baking sheets with kitchen parchment.
- On a large chopping board, unroll one sheet of phyllo pastry. With a pastry brush, lightly cover the sheet with melted butter, then layer over it a second sheet of pastry. Brush the second sheet with additional butter. Using a sharp knife, cut the sheets into 3 horizontal strips measuring 4 by 10 inches.
- Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the mixture on one end of each strip. Fold the filling over on itself at an angle to form a triangle. Continue folding the filling and pastry over on itself in this way, similar to folding a flag, to form a triangular packet. When you get near the end, stick the final bit of pastry down with a bit of melted butter. Cut off any bits that don't fall into shape. Pop the samosa on a tray and repeat with remaining ingredients.
- To bake the samosas, brush them on both sides with butter, sprinkle with nigella seeds and place them in a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve hot.
- If frozen, bake the samosas without thawing for 20-25 minutes.