This is one of my go to recipes as it's based upon a very simple principle: use what you have in the fridge. I made this a little while ago at University and the filling comprised of leeks, mushrooms and blue cheese. As long as you have plenty of tasty filling and filo pastry, the meal will be a success.
I anticipated using the following ingredients, but ended up using extra bits of bobs where I thought it was needed:
When I was cooking the filling I realised it could do with a bit of heat, so stirred in a teaspoon of whole grain mustard, and then added some herbs de provence and some tomato puree.
One of the things that makes this dish so versatile and exciting is that you can make it five times and end up with a whole new flavor on each cook. If I had had some sweet potato I may have roasted that and added it in, or some goats cheese it would have replaced the Boursin.
The only bit that is consistent for each recipe is the fold.
It's easier to fold your parcels if the filling has cooled slightly, so I left mine for around half an hour before continuing.
To start off lay your filo pastry down and cut it across the center.
Take one sheet off the pile and lay it out across your board. Then brush the pastry with a thin layer of olive oil or melted butter. It's important to do this as otherwise your parcels will be chalky not crispy.
Take a generous tablespoon of the filling and place it on the far left of the pastry. Add on a scoop of boursin (or goats cheese or stilton) and I put in a sprinkle of seeds to give some extra protein and crunch.
Bring the top left corner down so that the filling is covered
And then take the triangle and turn it into the centre. Don't worry if your filling tries to escape, just be firm and keep turning!
Then bring the whole triangle up so that the bottom is sealed in
Before turning it a few times more until the whole of the filling is encased in filo pastry
Use a small amount more of oil/butter to neaten up the parcel and tuck any sticking out pastry onto the parcel.
You can now bake these until golden and crispy.
I served with a dollop of creme fraiche and a basil leaf to give some additional creaminess to the meal.
One or two would make a lovely light starter for a dinner party, or they could be served with some vegetables for an evening meal. If you were to include them as a dinner party course they would be great made ahead: once they're folded you could freeze or chill them until needed. To cook just grab them out the fridge, pop them in the oven, and open a bottle of something delicious with friends - the hard work is over!
RECIPE:
Makes 6-8 parcels
Prep time: 60 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
At least 6 sheets of filo pastry
200g spinach
200g mixed mushrooms
100g plum tomatoes
1 white onion
2 cloves of garlic or 1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp tomato puree
30g grated Parmesan
50g boursin or any soft cheese
30g melted butter or olive oil
30g mixed seeds
Method:
Start off by making your filling:
Saute the garlic and onions for around 5 minutes or until translucent.
Add in your chopped mushrooms, tomatoes and tomato paste.
Stir and reduce for a further 5 minutes on a medium heat.
Tip in the spinach and stir while it wilts down to barely anything.
Have a taste of your food, what does it need? I added the mustard, herbs de provence and Parmesan at this stage.
Allow the filling to cool for around 30 minutes.
Set your oven to 180°C or gas mark 4.
For the folding:
Lay out all the sheets of filo pastry and
cut across the middle of the sheets.
Take one half sheet at a time and brush it
lightly with oil/butter so that it's completely covered.
Take a generous tablespoon of the mixture
and place it in the top left hand corner.
Add a chunk of boursin and a sprinkling of
mixed seeds.
Fold the pastry across the filling into a
triangle shape, then follow the pattern across the pastry until
the triangle is complete and the parcel
has no gaps across the sides.
Continue this procedure until all the
mixture has run out and all your parcels are folded.
Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 15-20mins (until golden and crispy).
Serve on it's own for a starter or with
some steamed veggies for a main and enjoy!
What did you end up putting in your parcels? Let me know!
Substituted the seeds for mixed nuts and raisins and forgot to throw in goats cheese but nevertheless they were a huge success with the fam - Mum asked for the recipe and sister wanted to lick the spatula clean! Shall deffo be trying other variations of this soon, Cristy xx
ReplyDeleteOooh what a great idea with the nuts! I forgot to add in stilton last time I made a leek and mushroom version of these, so while the parcels were cooking I made a simple roux sauce with just butter, milk and flour and stirred in the soft cheese until it melted. I then used this sauce rather than Crème Fraîche on top. Glad you enjoyed making them and hope your family are well!
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