Spices and Seasons - Red Saag Paneer Samosas

My weekend was mostly about winding down the garden, a ritual that always brings with it a touch of sadness, despite the fact that I know the garden will emerge again, it will blossom and bloom and spring will be back. It is the time of the year, when all but the roots get picked up. I have a shelf full of green tomatoes, right alongside the winter squash which will regale us through winter.

Along with this came the beet greens, and a red saag paneer samosa was born. While we typically think of saag on the Indian table as green, the term really refers to any green with the word palak being reserved for spinach.

While, I love the mild and flavorful taste of beet greens, I wanted something that offered it a little natural spicy zest, this is where my husband suggested the handful of radishes that we had around. I have to confess, a lot of these suggestions end up as winners! Like most vegetable gardeners, my husband has a very good sense of what makes flavors work and perk together, and I loved the touch of spiciness the radishes offered these beet greens. I have used phyllo dough, instead of the samosa pastry, mostly to lighten up the dish, rather than a huge time saving attempt as I do not find a huge time savings when working with phyllo dough. This recipe has two layers of cheeses, the crumbled paneer or Indian cheese, which can be substituted with tofu if desired and some feta cheese.

We had these for lunch yesterday, and I was thrilled to see how quickly these disappeared. The radish indeed offered, just the right level of sharpness and the mixture of feta and paneer was just perfect, in terms of body and creaminess as the feta melts and is salty, while the paneer tends to hold its integrity.

As for working with phyllo dough, it takes a little bit of practice, but the good thing is that one does not need to lose one's sleep over a couple of lost sheets as there is plenty more in the offing. If you are in the mood for some crispy indulgence, you can check out my recipe for nigella speckled gluten-free eggplant fritters.

Red Saag Paneer Samosas

For the filling:

11/2 tablespoons oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small to medium sized onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 pound finely chopped beet greens

½ cup freshly grated radishes

1 teaspoon salt (please note, feta is very salty and this should be considered when adding the salt)

½ teaspoon red cayenne pepper

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/3 cup grated paneer cheese

20 to 25 sheets of 10-inch phyllo dough

Olive Oil for brushing

Heat the oil and add in the garlic and the cumin seeds and cook lightly until the mixture is fragrant and the garlic turns a pale toffee color.

Add in the onion and sauté for about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add in the chopped beet greens and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until wilted.

Stir in the radish, salt, red cayenne pepper, feta and paneer cheese. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes and set aside to cool.

Grease a baking sheet and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Unfold the philo dough and keep a damp towel handy, for the unused sheets.

Place a sheet on a flat clean space, brush with olive oil and top with another sheet. Continue this way to layer 4 sheets. Fold a corner to shape into a triangle. It is important to fold both sided of the dough to get a size that uses all the dough. Cut into a rectangular shape and then half, to get 2 squares.

Fill one side of each square with about 2 teaspoons of the filling. Fold over and seal the sides with a little water. Place on a baking sheet and continue all the sheets in this manner. Place in the oven and bake for about 4 minutes on each side.

Serve hot with your favorite condiments, such as sriracha, tamarind and cilantro chutney.