RECIPE: Spinach and Cheese Filo Pastries

Published on November 6, 2009 |

Christine Watson of Marquette Turner Luxury Homes writes:

You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy this dish. People often hear alarm bells and get into cold sweats at the thought of using filo pastry, but give this recipe a try and you’ll see how simple it can be.

Ingredients

3 Bunches Spinach

250gm Ricotta Cheese

200 gm Feta Cheese

2 Cups Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Cloves Garlic

2 Onions

3 Tbsp Pine Nuts

1 Pkt Filo Pastry

Melted Butter

Salt and Pepper

Method

Heat oven to a moderate heat.

Wash spinach, remove stalks and limp leaves. Blanch in hot water. Put aside.

Toast pumpkin seeds in dry fry pan, add to spinach. Fry garlic and onion in a little butter until just cooked. Add to spinach.

Mix all cheeses into spinach mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spread three sheets of philo pastry on bench. With a pastry brush, add a little melted butter to each sheet and then place pastry sheets on top of each other.

Place spinach mixture onto the pastry in a long cylinder shape.

Gently roll the pastry over the spinach, forming a roll. Ensure the pastry is firm over the spinach mixture. Join the edges of the pastry with a little melted butter.

Repeat with the remaining mixture.

With a sharp knife, cut each roll into 6cm pieces (similar size to a sausage roll).

Bake on a greased over tray for approximately 30 minutes, or until pastry has browned.

Another method of serving the spinach and cheese is to create small pies by placing the filo pastry into a greased muffin tray and putting a small pastry cover on the top of each “pie”.

Christine Watson