Curried Turkey Filo Parcels

I'm always looking for new ways to use filo pastry. Its such a simple ingredient that if used properly can really make a recipe feel properly indulgent, and these parcels are no exception to that. The thin filo goes so crispy in the oven, its a very noisy but satisfying dinner to perk up the mid week bore that can set in.


They work out at 5 SmartPoints each, and depending on what you serve them with and how many SmartPoints you have left then you could easily go with a serving size of one or two parcels. Each time I've had them I went with 2 and had it along side either roast veggies or a big salad. But one parcel with a side of some spiced rice and veggies, or even as a starter when entertaining would be perfect.

They go really nicely with a little mango chutney and some homemade raita (recipe below), just be sure to add the SmartPoints on.

Folding these can be a bit tricky, especially when trying to cram as much filling as possible into each little parcel. The trick is to remember, you can fit more in than you think possible. What you want to do is fill the top end, then fold one corner over tucking it in as much as possible and then just continue folding until you run out of pastry. It may not line up into perfect triangles which each fold, and by the end you may be almost wrapping it around but the key is to make sure that they are no gaps where the filling will fall out. This video gives an idea of how to do it.

Serves: 4 (one parcel per serving)
SmartPoints per Serving: 5
SmartPoints on NoCount: 3
Ingerdients:
4 Sheets Filo Pastry (I use jus-rol)
400g Turkey Breast Mince
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
100g frozen peas
1 tsp Olive Oil
1/2 tbsp tomato puree
100ml water
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
1.5 tsp curry powder
Salt & Pepper
Spray Oil

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Heat the oil over a medium heat and gently fry the onion & garlic until soft. Add the turkey mince and fry, breaking up the mince, until there is no pink left.

Add all of the spices and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Mix through the tomato puree and water and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the water has reduced. You want to end up with a fairly dry mixture, but ensuring everything is nicely coated in flavour. Add the peas and season to taste.

Take each sheet of pastry, spray with oil and fold it vertically. Pile 1/4 of the turkey mixture onto the top and then fold over the corner to get a triangle shape. Keep folding until all the pastry has been used and there are no gaps for the filling to leak. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of Filo.

Place on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper and spray again with oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is crispy & golden. Serve immediately.


Raita:
Serves: 4
SmartPoints per Serving: 1
SmartPoints on NoCount: 0
Ingredients:
300g 0% fat greek yoghurt
1/2 cucumber
small bunch of fresh mint
Juice of half a lemon
Salt & pepper

Grate the cucumber and squeeze it in a clean teatowel to remove the excess liquid. Finely chop the mint and mix all the ingredients together. Season to taste & serve.