Spinach and Three Cheese Coils
A Perfect Light Meal
This is a quick and simple filo coil, stuffed with a delicious mixture of blanched spinach and three cheeses (yep – one is never enough!)
It would work well to break the Yom Kippur fast (especially for those of you in Australia where our fast ends unusually late) or for any time when a light bite is needed. You can freeze them rolled and raw, and then defrost and bake as needed.
They are delicious straight out of the oven and equally good served at room temperature (although you will lose a little of that crisp filo crunch) which makes them perfect for a do-ahead meal. You can make them in individual coils (as we have done) or make each coil join on to the next so you have one large coiled circle.
This recipes comes from the late Jack Sages and is published, alongside the stories of his Turkish heritage, in our second book The Feast Goes On.
Spinach and Three Cheese Coils
Ingredients
- 8 - 10 sheets filo pastry
- 1 bunch English spinach
- 250 grams feta cheese
- 100 grams pecorino cheese grated
- 100 grams parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tbsp Plain (All purpose) Flour
- 2 eggs
- 100 grams Butter melted
- 100 ml vegetable oil
- 1 egg lightly beaten, for glazing
- sesame seeds for sprinkling
Instructions
- Take the filo pastry out of the fridge at least 2 hours before starting the recipe to minimise cracking when shaping the coils.
- Preheat oven to 200ºC. Line 2 baking trays.
- Wash the spinach, remove and discard the large stems and chop the leaves. Blanch in boiling water, then drain thoroughly. Leave to cool slightly, then squeeze out as much excess water as possible. The cooked spinach should weigh around 85 g (3 oz).
- Crumble the feta into a bowl, add the other cheeses, flour, eggs and spinach and mix well.
- Combine the melted butter and oil in a bowl. Place 1 sheet of the filo in front of you vertically on the bench top. Cover the remainding sheets with a damp cloth. Lightly brush the butter mixture over the pastry sheet, ensuring the entire surface is covered.
- Make a 4 cm (1 1/2 inch) fold at the short end of the sheet of pastry sheet, then spread a 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick layer of the spinach filling over this fold from left to right, leaving about 2 cm space at both ends. Fold both the long sides of the pastry inwards to prevent leakage, then roll the pastry up from the bottom to the top to make a cylinder. Wrap the cylinder into a coil shape and place on a prepared tray.
- Repeat the process with the remaining filling and filo sheets until you have 8 - 10 coils. Brush tops with beaten egg and sprinkle over the sesame seeds.
- Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown. Use a paper towel to remove any excess oil before serving. Serves 8 - 10.
