Sweet potato ashak
	Serves 18 + vegan Tha Ashak comes from Afghanistan but unfortuately this dish bears little resemblance to the original. It's an example of how recipes can drift and change but with the name remaining the same.		saffron risotto balls goats cheese muffin artichoke tart sweet potato ashak saffron crespellini pumpkin gnocci

	Sweet potato filling 2kg (4lbs) sweet poatoes ½ cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 teaspoon coriander seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 red chillies 4 small leeks 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon turmeric 2 teaspoon garam masala 1 glass petits pois ½ bunch coriander salt and pepper	First brush the sweet potatoes with oil and roast them until they are soft. Heat the oil in a pan and splutter the seeds. Take care not to brown the seeds as they will turn bitter. Add the onion, leek and chilli and saute until soft and starting to brown. Add the ground spices and cook for 1-2 minutes. Take off the heat and add the peas and the spice mixture to the chopped sweet potatoes. Fold in the fresh chopped coriander. Season and mix together thoroughly.
	Roast red pepper and tamarind coulis 2 red peppers 2 teaspoons tamarind paste 2 dessertspoons thai sweet chilli sauce 2 cloves of garlic salt Banana and pineapple salsa 2 bananas ½ pineapple 1 red pepper 1 green pepper 1 chilli-seeded 1 teaspoon fresh ginger 3 spring onions chopped mint and coriander Juice 2 limes 3 dessertspoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground green cardamom seeds 4 dessertspoons olive oil	Roast the peppers in a very hot oven until the skins begin to blacken. Place in a bowl and cover with cling film. Cool and peel. Put the peppers and the remaining ingredients into a blender and whizz up until very fine. Finely chop all of the ingredients apart from the pineapple and banana. Mix together thoroughly. Add the fruits just before serving.
		How to make the ashaks. Open a pack of fresh filo pastry. Paste two sheets together with vegetable oil and place in a ring-mould allowing the edges of the filo to hang over. If you don't want to use a ring-mould you can you can just fold the pastry over like a samosa. Fill the filo with about 2-3 dessertspoons of the sweet potato filling, fold the filo back onto itself and press into shape. Unmould, brush with a little oil and bake in a hot oven for about 20 minutes. These ashaks are best cooked to order. Serve with leaves on the tamarind coulis and top with the banana salsa.
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