These delicious little crispy parcels are full of a scrumptious spinach and ricotta mix. This mix doubles up as a great filling for ravioli / tortellini, but works just as well in filo pastry. A great lunch option, or dinner with a slightly increased portion size. I served this with giant couscous, mixed with roasted red peppers, fresh sweet tomatoes and red onion.
It's a pretty quick process and the couscous and filling can be made ahead of time if you want to cut down on prep time even more. It can also be enjoyed hot or cold if you fancy leftovers for lunch.
With the quantities in this recipe I had some leftover pastry (enough for about 4 parcels), so I used this the following day and made a filling of red onion, red pepper and cheddar cheese which was lovely!
Makes 8 parcels
Ingredients
For the parcels:
250g ricotta
250g spinach
salt and pepper
ready-made filo pastry sheets
olive oil to brush
For the cous cous:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 roasted red pepper from a jar, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
80g giant couscous
Salt and pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Wilt the spinach in a hot pan, then place in a sieve and push out as much excess liquid as possible. Add the spinach and ricotta to a bowl and mix to combine, season to taste.
2. Lay out the ready-made filo pastry sheets - layer three at a time and keep the rest under a damp cloth / towel so they don't dry out. Cut the sheets into quarters, brush with a little olive oil and place a tablespoon of ricotta and spinach mix into the centre. Join the corners of the pastry and twist to seal, creating little parcels. Place on a baking tray and brush with olive oil. Repeat until you've used all of the mixture.
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
4. While the parcels are baking, prepare the couscous. Fry the diced onion and minced garlic until soft, add the red pepper and fry for another minute or two. Add the oregano and couscous, fry for a minute. Now gradually add water, about half a cup at a time, stirring each time until all the liquid has absorbed. Continue to add half a cup of water until the couscous is soft and fluffy - taste the couscous once it looks done, it shouldn't have too much bite to it.
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