Goat Milk

Treat yourself to a Persian feast with this chorizo and goats’ cheese filo pie.

This wonderful combination of smoky, spiced chorizo and cumin-spiked, creamy goat’s cheese is a winner. Nigella seeds are used all around the world but are originally from Southern Asia. Widely used in Indian and Middle Eastern cookery, they have a bitter and peppery taste and are often used in savoury breads.

Chorizo really is such a fantastic ingredient and its capability to deliver bags of flavour to anything it comes into contact with always makes it a crowd-pleaser.

The recipe requires less than 30 mins Preparation time, 1 to 2 hours Cooking time, Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp cumin seeds (toasted)
• 2 x 200g/7oz cured chorizo sausages (not cooking chorizo), skinned and cut into chunks
• 350g/12fl oz rindless soft goats’ cheese, broken into pieces
• vegetable oil, for oiling
• 6 sheets filo pastry (each about 48 x 25cm/19 x10in)
• 1 tbsp full-fat milk or water
• 1 free-range egg, beaten, to glaze
• 1 tsp nigella seeds

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• Dry fry the cumin seeds in a frying pan until aromatic. Remove from the heat.
• Put the chunks of chorizo into a food processor and process until they are minced as finely as possible. Transfer to a mixing bowl, add the cooled cumin seeds and goats’ cheese and mix together until evenly combined.
• Brush the base of a 24cm/9½in round ovenproof dish or cake tin with a little vegetable oil. Lay a pastry sheet lengthways in the dish or tin with the ends overhanging the sides, then lay another pastry sheet widthways in the same way.
• Divide the chorizo filling in half. Add one half to the filo base and smooth it right to the edges to cover the base evenly.
• Fold another pastry sheet in half to create a double thickness and lay it over the filling, then repeat with a second pastry sheet to form a thick pastry layer.
• Brush the pastry with the milk or water, then top with the remaining filling, pushing and patting it into place to evenly coat the pastry layer. Fold the overhanging pastry into the centre, then gently crumple up the remaining 2 pastry sheets and arrange them on top.
• Brush all the exposed pastry and edges with beaten egg and sprinkle over the nigella seeds. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until deep golden-brown. Serve the borek immediately.

Want something special for Sunday lunch?

As days get brighter, celebrate the new season with a lamb dish full of the flavours of Spring. This marinated lamb is full of flavour and perfect with salsa verde.

The recipe requires less than 30 mins Preparation time, 30 mins to 1 hour Cooking time, Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 x French trimmed lamb racks (6-8 chops in each), chine bone removed
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest and juice
• 2 tsp runny honey
• 2 tbsp oil

For the salsa verde

• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• small bunch flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
• small bunch basil leaves, finely chopped
• 8 anchovies, finely chopped
• 75g/2¾oz dill pickle cucumbers, finely chopped (you can also use gherkins)
• 1 tsp runny honey
• 150ml/5fl oz olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

• Trim any excess skin from the lamb and score the fat using a sharp knife. Put the garlic, lemon zest (reserve the juice for the salsa verde), honey and oil in a large bowl and mix. Add the lamb and rub in the marinade. Cover and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7
• Place a large frying pan over a medium heat, put the lamb fat-side down into the pan and fry for about 5 minutes or until the fat is dark golden-brown. Transfer to a roasting tin, browned side up and bones facing the centre.
• Roast for 18–20 minutes, cover with aluminium foil and rest for 15 minutes.
• For the salsa verde, mix all the ingredients and the reserved lemon juice together in a bowl and season with little salt and pepper. Gently warm the salsa before serving.
• Carve the lamb to divide it into chops. Serve two chops per person with the salsa verde alongside.

*Recipe Tips – The lamb can be marinated up to a day ahead. The salsa can be made up to 3 days ahead, in fact the flavour increase the longer it is left.

International health certificates for the export of animals from the United States are completed by the accredited veterinarian who certifies herd and animal health status, conducts tests, and records test results for the individual animals being exported. Completed and signed international health certificates for the export of animals from the United States must be endorsed by a Veterinary Services area office in order to be valid.

The United States has minimal requirements for animals to be exported to other countries.  Your Area Veterinarian-in-Charge can provide you with the current regulations, tests, and inspections required.  Approved ports of embarkation and shipping requirements can be found in the Program Handbook. Each country may have other specific health requirements for entry of animals. These requirements are established by the importing country, not the United States. Other countries may also have their own certificate format for export. Since export requirements frequently change, obtain the current export requirements from the Veterinary Service office in your area before each shipment. Do not rely solely on information provided by brokers and exporters. Export certificates are official documents and they should be typewritten, accurate, and complete.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these regulations for exporting animals to a foreign country, you should contact the Veterinary Services service center in the State from which the animals will be exported.