January is almost over! Can you believe this? And how are you feeling about the beginning of the year? I am feeling good but I can’t believe we’re almost done with January. Where did all this time go? Where was I?

I spent most of my time in the kitchen recipe testing, snapping and reading cookbooks. I decided it was time to finally go through the countless cookbooks I haven’t had the time to read and cook from. It was great and extremely inspiring. On another note, I have also learned to master the art of making microwave chocolate mug cakes (please, don’t judge me) and made my first Swiss meringue buttercream. Looks like, in my case, these past weeks were spent in the kitchen cooking and eating or in bed thinking about what to cook and eat.

These briouate are a classic in Morocco. Interestingly, I’ve just realised that it is the only traditional Moroccan recipe (to my knowledge) that includes kefta (spiced mince meat) in a sweet and savoury way. Honestly, I like them on their own but I looooove them with plenty of icing sugar on top so don’t forget to go crazy on the sugar before serving them. Traditionally, these briouates are deep fried but here I’ve decided to bake them in the oven. Feel free to deep fry them if you prefer.

Classic Kefta Briouate

INGREDIENTS

Makes about 15 large briouate

450g prepared kefta
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and more for serving
4 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
Salt and pepper
200g filo pastry
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon icing sugar
A handful of roughly chopped mint leaves

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Warm up a large pan over medium heat and add in ½ tablespoon of butter and leave until melted. Transfer in the kefta and the cinnamon and cook until the meat is brown, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. About 7 minutes.

• Transfer the cooked kefta in a large bowl. If you notice some liquid, drain the kefta of any excess water to prevent the filling from becoming wet.

• In the same pan, add in ½ tablespoon of butter over medium heat and leave until melted. Beat the eggs and transfer them in the pan. Use a wooden spoon to gently stir the eggs until scrambled and fully cooked. Stir the scrambled eggs in the large bowl and mix with the kefta. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

• Melt the remaining butter in a pan or in the microwave. Unroll the filo and cut the pastry lengthways into 10 cm large and 30 cm long rectangles. Use a sharp knife to cut the pastry and keep the filo rectangles covered with a damp towel until ready to use to prevent from drying out.

• On a work surface, place a filo rectangle and brush it with melted butter. Top the corner of the rectangle with 3 tablespoons of kefta and egg mixture and fold to form a triangle, up to the right and left, until a triangle is formed. Repeat until you’ve exhausted all the kefta and egg mixture.

• Transfer the triangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with egg yolk and place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.

• Serve warm over a bed of chopped mint leaves and a very generous sprinkling of icing sugar and ground cinnamon.