LAMB AND CHEESE BRIOUAT
Briouats are small Moroccan pastries, which are usually stuffed with different meats and cheeses. This recipe features briouats made with ground lamb and cream cheese, and some are made with just cheese for those who don’t eat meat. Both are enclosed in a crisp, paper-thin Moroccan pastry called warqa. They are fried crispy, are full of flavor, and there is a spicy harissa sauce to accompany this and the following recipe.
Ingredients:
1 pound ground lamb
1 pound of warqa (spring roll wrappers are a great substitute)
1 cup cream cheese
1 cup onion, finely chopped
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons butter, softened for brushing the pastry
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water for an egg wash
1 cup safflower oil
Directions:
In a large frying pan melt the butter and sauté the onions for 3 minutes on medium until soft. Add the ground lamb with half of the paprika, cumin, pepper, salt, and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat, stirring to break up the meat into fine pieces, until the onions are translucent and the meat is well browned and thoroughly cooked. Stir in the parsley and three eggs, stirring constantly until the eggs are firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool. When making the cheese-filled briouats blend 1 cup of cream cheese with half of the onions, parsley, eggs, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, pepper and salt.
Use kitchen shears to cut the pastry dough into 2½” wide strips. Lightly brush melted butter onto the dough. Place a large tablespoon of filling at one end of the strip. Fold the bottom left corner of the enclosed dough upwards to the right, aligning it with the right edge of the strip. Then flip the bottom right corner upwards to the left, aligning it with the left edge of the dough—same as one would fold a flag—in the shape of a triangle. Continue folding the triangle, flipping right and then left in this manner until the end of the dough is reached. Tuck the end of the dough into the “pocket” formed by the open edge. One can use the end of a butter knife to help tuck in the flap. Beat the 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water for an egg wash and brush them lightly.
In a large frying pan heat the oil and fry the briouats until light golden brown. Drain and serve. This recipe makes one dozen meat and one dozen cheese briouats.
Correspondences:
Butter, cream cheese, and eggs are of water, the parsley is of air, and the lamb is of earth. Spring roll wrappers are made with water, salt, and flour, and since flour is the predominant ingredient, it is air of earth. The cinnamon, cumin, paprika, white pepper, and safflower oil are all of fire, and the onion is water of fire. With so much fire, these little triangles are great for Hadit.
