Egyptian filo pie with chopped salad
Serves: 6
Prep time: 50 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
Egyptian filo pie with chopped salad
This traditional meat pie is known as ‘goulash’ in Egypt – but is very different from the Hungarian stew!
Serves: 6
Prep time: 50 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
687Kcal
Fat
44gr
Saturates
15gr
Carbs
36gr
Sugars
10gr
Fibre
5gr
Protein
34gr
Salt
0.8gr
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 x 270g pack filo pastry
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 750g lamb mince (20% fat)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 260g young spinach
- 1 medium egg
- 225ml milk
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
For the chopped salad
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1⁄2 tsp sumac
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 cucumber, deseeded and diced
- 80g pomegranate seeds
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
For the yogurt sauce
- 150g Greek-style yogurt
- 1⁄2 tsp garlic granules
Step by step
- Remove the filo from the fridge first, then start making the filling. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan, add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes to start to soften. Increase the heat and crumble in the minced lamb, a bit at a time so that you can break it up well. Fry, stirring occasionally, until browned.
- Mix in the spices, garlic granules, tomato purée and seasoning and cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the spinach a handful at a time until wilted, then cook until any excess moisture has evaporated. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed; remove from the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Brush a 20cm x 30cm baking tin or roasting tin with a little of the remaining olive oil. Layer 4 sheets of filo into the tin, brushing each layer lightly with oil. Fold in excess pastry at the edges but let it go slightly up the sides of the tin, to hold the filling.
- Spoon the filling in evenly, then top with the rest of the filo as before. Brush the top sheet generously with oil and use a sharp knife to mark the pie into 12 squares. Place the tin on a baking tray.
- Beat the egg and milk together, season and pour slowly and evenly over the pie so that it sinks into the cuts. Scatter the sesame seeds on top and bake for about 30 minutes until set, golden- brown and crisp on top. Leave to rest for 10 minutes or so before serving.
- While the pie is cooking, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice and sumac with some seasoning then mix in the rest of the salad ingredients. Combine the yogurt, garlic granules and 1 tablespoon of cold water in another bowl for the sauce, seasoning to taste. Serve the pie with the chopped salad and yogurt sauce.
