Turkish Lamb, Feta and Spinach Melts

Looking for an aromatic snack to share with your friends? These little treats are mouth watering and quite easy to make. Cumin adds a bit of nutty and peppery flavor with slight citrus overtones to this recipe. It has been used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines for centuries as well as Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes. These little seeds are a very good source of iron and are of benefit to the digestive system. Click here for more information on the benefits and history of cumin.

Serves 6
recipe from Good Taste

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
400g lamb mince
185ml (3/4 cup) water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon currants
Lebanese bread
100g Greek-style feta
60g baby spinach leaves

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for 7 minutes or until golden. Add the garlic and cumin and cook until aromatic (2 minutes). Increase heat to medium-high. Add the mince and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 4 minutes or until mince changes color. Stir in the water and tomato paste. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the currants. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat a sandwich press. Place the bread on a clean work surface. Divide the mince mixture among the bread and spread over one half of each piece of bread. Crumble the feta over the meat and top with spinach. Fold in half to enclose. Add one sandwich to the sandwich press. Cook 2-3 minutes or until toasted and heated through. Transfer to a place and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches. Cut into wedges to serve.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: These triangle melts were gone in minutes! A great serving idea if you’re having a bunch of people over to watch sports on the television or if you have hungry teenagers around. I don’t own a sandwich press so I used a frying pan and flattened the bread with the back of a spatula (1-2 minutes) and the flipped the sandwich over.