Chickpea and Vegetable Samosas

The filling is inspired by a vegetable patty recipe from Epicurious that I've made a few times in the past.

1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted

1 teaspoon coriander seed, toasted

1 teaspoon mustard seed, toasted

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 russet potato, peeled and diced

1 carrot, diced

1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (vary amount to suit your taste)

1/2-inch chunk of ginger, peeled and minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup (packed) chopped fresh spinach

1 handful of frozen peas

2 cups chickpeas, lightly mashed

1 big handful of cilantro, chopped

oil, for sauteeing and for spraying/brushing onto pastries

8 sheets of filo pastry (the number of sheets you'll need may vary depending on how much filling you use for each pastry)

To toast the seeds: place them into a skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan around every now and again, until seeds are toasty and fragrant.

Heat about 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet. Saute the onion, potato, carrot, jalapeno, ginger, garlic and spices. Cook until potatoes and carrots are tender. Stir in spinach and peas. Cook until spinach is just wilted. Add cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. Allow mixture to cool.

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a baking sheet with a light coating of oil. Assemble samosas using using any folding method you like. After assembling each one, spray with oil using an oil mister, or use a pastry brush to lightly coat the dough. Transfer samosas to baking sheet. Bake approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown and flaky.

Peach Chutney

I used a recipe from BC Tree Fruits website as a guide. My version is a bit different with the preparation and proportions and also includes ingredients substitutions. To peel the peaches, I used a Y-peeler which worked very well for removing the peel without cutting into the peach flesh.

5 small-medium peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks

about 1/3 cup raw sugar (more or less depending on the sweetness of your peaches)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/3 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1/2-inch chunk of ginger, peeled and minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 garlic clove, minced

2-3 tablespoons cider vinegar (start with less and add more if desired)

juice of 1 lemon

pinch of ground clove

1 teaspoon mustard seed

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 cup raisins

Add everything to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until peaches, pepper and onion are nice and tender and the mixture is thickened to desired consistency. This took about 20-25 minutes for me. Remove and discard cinnamon stick. Season mixture with salt to taste. Allow mixture to cool before serving.

Yields approximately 2 1/2 cups.