I wanted to make something with lamb for Elias’s birthday, and had some ground lamb thawed out.

I tried them out on the guys for lunch, and they almost cried when I only gave them 14, with the last quart of tomato soup the man wants me to make a 55 gallon drum of.

They are pretty darn good, and not that hard.

I used the phyllo dough recipe from the spanakopitas as I thought the one tablespoon of olive oil might make the dough stronger.

You could use beef, pork, or any ground meat, and really any herbs and vegetables inside, especially if you are making them up as you go, like I am.

This is what I used.

4 cloves of garlic, processed in the food processor.

One large onion (or about that much from smaller onions I just pulled.)

Garden celery with lots of leaves and fresh mint, pulse in food processor.

1/2 teaspoon real salt
1 large tablespoon fresh ginger (I always have this ginger in the fridge, and it is super easy to make)
1 teaspoon dried chile powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cardamom

Mix everything up.

I cut the dough into fourths like I would if making spanakopitas. Roll out as thin as possible and spread out a bit of olive oil all around the dough.

I was not about to make and roll out all those tiny circles, so I just used a small round cutter and made as many rounds as I could. Easy!

Put a little filling in the center of a circle and fold over like a taco. Pinch the middle at the top, then pinch and fold little bits to the side until the folds meet at the top, then do the other side. Mine were not that great, but just make sure that everything is sealed so the meat can steam cook inside.

recipes said to then oil a steamer so they don’t stick, but I thought it would be easier to put some olive oil on a platter and oil the bottoms of the momos that way, and they also did not stick when I was making them and putting them on the platter before steaming.

Use a double boiler with a steam basket insert, and get the water in the bottom to a boil.

I found it easiest to roll out one fourth of the dough, cut the circles and fill, and place that batch in the steamer before making more. While one batch is steaming you can make another batch.

Steam for 12 minutes.

The guys were late for lunch, so they got cold. I wiped some coconut oil in the bottom of a cast iron pan, and browned the bottoms of them when they got here.

This made almost 60 little momos, with a bit of meat left over for the man’s request of spanakopitas tomorrow for lunch with meat inside.

I put one batch on a plate with a bit of olive oil on the bottom and froze them separately in the freezer. Then I will take them and put in a ziplock bag, back in the freezer, for another time. When they are frozen, don’t thaw, but just put them in a boiling steamer, but steam for about 20 minutes instead of 12.

I was so happy yesterday that I found a real Australian, long, waterproof duster at the thrift store and a wool Pendleton shirt. Those will keep Elias, and even his horse, a bit warmer in the months to come.