Can I freeze spinach and feta parcels?

Spinach and feta parcels can be frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze before baking and bake from frozen so they are fresh and crispy.

How long do filo parcels take to cook?

It usually takes 15-20 minutes at 180C or 300F to get them nice and crispy. Keep an eye on them and take them out of the oven when they start to brown and transfer them to a wire cooling rack.

Can you prepare filo parcels in advance?

You can prepare the filo parcels in advance and bake them later. Just cover them and store them in the fridge until you are ready to bake them.

Do you glaze filo pastry?

Brushing filo pastry with a thin layer of butter between each sheet and on the tops before baking adds flavour and crispiness. Filo pastry is very low in fat and adding butter vastly improves its taste, texture and appearance.

Spinach and Feta Parcels (crispy and delicious)

Name: Spinach and feta parcels
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 3 tbsp pine nuts; 1 tbsp neutral or olive oil; 1 onion - finely chopped; 3 cloves of garlic - crushed; 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg; 1/4 tsp sea salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 200g (or 7oz) spinach leaves - washed; 7g (or 3.5 tbsp) fresh mint - finely chopped; 7g (or 2.5 tbsp) fresh dill - finely chopped; 1/2 lemon - juice and zest; 100g (or 3.5oz) feta - crumbled; 15g (or 2 tbsp) butter - melted; 5-6 sheets filo pastry; Sesame seeds (optional)

Description

Flavour-filled and perfectly crispy feta and spinach triangles. Just 30 minutes of hands-on time, make-ahead friendly and packable.

Makes 10-12. Use the scaling buttons below to double or triple the quantity.

Ingredients

Scale

3 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp neutral or olive oil
1 onion - finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic - crushed
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
200g (or 7oz) spinach leaves - washed
7g (or 3.5 tbsp) fresh mint - finely chopped
7g (or 2.5 tbsp) fresh dill - finely chopped
1/2 lemon - juice and zest
100g (or 3.5oz) feta - crumbled
15g (or 2 tbsp) butter - melted
5-6 sheets filo pastry
Sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

Place a large frying pan on a medium heat, add the pine nuts, toast until they begin to brown and set aside.
Add oil to the pan and fry the onions until they are soft and translucent.
Stir in the garlic, nutmeg, salt and black pepper and fry for a minute more until fragrant.
Add the spinach to the pan, stir continuously until it begins to wilt, and stir in the mint and dill.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice, lemon zest, feta and pine nuts, stir and set aside.
Melt the butter on the stove or in the microwave.
Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter onto a sheet of filo pastry.
Place another pastry sheet of filo directly on top and use scissors to cut it into 4 strips (note 1).
Place 2-3 tablespoons of the filling onto the bottom of one of the pastry sheets about 1/2 inch from the bottom and fold the corner diagonally to form a triangle.
Continue folding until you reach the end of the sheet. Brush the end with a little butter and fold down to seal.
Repeat these steps with the rest of the filling.
Place the filo triangles onto rack or baking tray (note 2), brush each one with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.
Leave on a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before eating.

Notes

The recipe has been tested with 12cm/5inch wide pastry sheets. You can make them smaller or larger as desired, adding more or less filling accordingly.
Bake the filo triangles on a grill rack or roasting rack if possible. This is how you get the bottoms crispy too.

Category: Spinach
Method: Baked
Cuisine: Greek

Keywords: spinach and feta parcels