PAW's Recipe of the Month December - North African Left-Over Turkey Pie

Remembering past journeys to Thailand I am reminded of one of the Amazing Thailand promotional clichés ‘The Sights and Sounds of Thailand’ which we added –‘ and the Smells!!’ Unless you have been to Thailand you will never have such and experience.

Having started here I am mindful of the Sights, Sounds and Smells of Christmas, many of which are sitting in our memories of days past invoking all sorts of emotions and feelings. When it comes to food our senses are an integral part of the digestive process that can prevent indigestion and eating disorders. How so you may well ask.

You will know when starting a car engine, it is important that you prime the engine as it is cold, and you need to wake it up with a bit of kick start to get all the parts lubricated and working to be efficient. So too with the body. Smells alert the brain and in turn that starts the gastric juices into action further stimulated by the sights and sounds (cooking, cutting) – once you start to eat you have touch and tastes. Food cannot be absorbed if you do not break it down and that will not happen if the correct juices are not lubricating its passage. Remember we chink glasses to give wine sound!

Without this process you may suffer from indigestion, acid reflux, heartburn and often happens when you eat on the move or too quickly – in car mechanical terms you flood the engine and it can’t cope – so please be mindful to not ‘flood’ your engine this Christmas time……

North African Left-Over Turkey Pie

2tsp Coriander Seeds

2tsp Cumin Seeds

Pinch of Ground Cinnamon

Olive Oil

2 Aubergines cut into dice

2 Med Onion peeled and chopped

2 tbsp Harissa Paste

2 Bell Peppers prepared and diced

Can Chopped Tomatoes

Chicken Stock Cube

Leftover Turkey – cubed

Filo Pastry and melted butter

1.    Warm the spices in a pan for a few minutes (do not burn) Add a glug of olive oil, the aubergines and shallots – turn all over in the spices and gently sweat until softened.

2.    Add the harissa and peppers and the tomatoes and stock cube. Stir and simmer for about 20 mins till all softened and cooked and mixture is thickish.

3.    Add the Turkey meat and stir in. Set aside to cool

4.    Put the mixture into an oven proof pie dish.

5.    Lay out your filo sheets – brush a sheet one at a time with melted butter, scrunch up (not too tightly) and place on top of filling. Repeat the process with little parcels of scrunched filo until covered completely. Add a little more melted butter to the top if needed.

6.    Bake in hot oven 180 degrees until golden and serve.