Bahrain 2024

 After a 21-month hiatus, we're back and starving! Though the 2022 year lacked stamina and 2023 failed to generate sufficient enthusiasm for cakes (don't ask, I have no idea why), we've revived the aspiration to fill our bellies and share the tales with you. 

For those of you who don't know the history, we've spent a few years following the Formula 1 season around the globe as we taste the culinary delights each host nation has to offer. Having started in March 2014 we've intermittently continued and spiced it up each year with a change of theme from Sunday lunches to cakes, breakfasts to breads and have repeatedly returned to making cake (see the historical posts). But this year, Heidi is confined to the torment of her mouth being clasped by a ferocious steel construction and is banned from eating cake, so let's make some savoury alternatives...

Heidi's Beefy Samboosas

Bahrain is the first race of the season and we've opted for the popular Middle-Eastern/Indian snack Samboosa (elsewhere known as Samosa). Little crispy triangles of meaty goodness.

Heidi took the lead, chose the recipe and set off.

The results are quite nice in the filling, but the pastry definitely needed longer cooking. Tally made sure we all know that she hates pastry and Siân gave it the wringing indorsement, "You've made worse".

Cook beef mince, onion and spices

Add tomato puree, coriander, carrot and peas

Fold it up (simples!)

Deep fry - but perhaps for longer than we did

Serve on Mum's best cake stand (and expect to be told off for that)

Recipe

As ever, this is our unique recipe, as close to what we actually achieved as can be remembered. This can only be fully replicated if you also adhere strictly to obeying these mistakes.

Heidi's Beefy Samboosas

Ingredients:

• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 500g lean beef mince
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp sweet cinnamon powder
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1/2 tsp mild chilli powder (Tally didn't get as far as detecting this, otherwise we might have had it fired out)
• generous salt and pepper
• 2 big squirts of tomato puree
• 1 handful of fresh corriander chopped
• 1 grated carrot
• 1 handful of frozen peas
• 1 pack of pre-made and rolled filo pastry (I can't help but feel this is a poor replica of anything authentic)
• 1 litre sunflower oil for frying

Method:

1. In a saute pan gently fry the onions, when Heidi tells you off for doing it in the wrong order.
2. Add the beef and break it into strands.
3. Add garlic and spices
4. Continue until the beef is cooked (At this point Tally comes in and asks if we are cooking a tagine - which was quite perceptive of the fragrances)
5. Add tomato and coriander stir and cook for a little while
6. Add carrot, peas and 2 cups of water
7. Turn the heat down to continue simmering until it thickens up and Heidi complains too much about wanting to eat it.
8. One scoop at a time, fold it into the pastry as triangles (watch the video above) and seal with a dab of flour/water solution.
9. Take the frying oil up to 190 degC and cook each triangle for 3 minutes - at which point they will look too crispy on the outside but remain as raw pastry on the inner layers.
10. Take samboosas out of the oil and attempt to remove some of the dripping oil before eating. 

If any of you are outrageous enough to try this recipe, please let us know.