Two Lands of Milk and Honey - another satisfying recipe from the cook book:
This one is a favourite recipe of my students and clients. It is easy, light, and you can use different types of cheese for the filling. You can easily prepare it to the stage before baking, and then freeze it while placing in a plastic box with baking paper between the layers. So then, when you have surprise guests arriving, just heat the oven and bake from frozen - easy !
Makes: about 20 small parcels
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients:
Spinach - 600g, fresh or frozen
Spring onions - 3
Parsley - 3 tablespoons, chopped
Dill - 1 teaspoon, chopped
Feta cheese - 200g, sheep, cows or goat
Eggs - 2
Filo pastry - 5 sheets, cut into small size, even squares
Olive oil or melted butter for brushing - ½ to 1 cup
Optional:
Baharat spice - 1 teaspoon
White or black (or mix) sesame seeds - 2 teaspoons for sprinkle
Method:
Filling:
1. Steam the spinach leaves with some water (don’t add water if using frozen spinach) until the leaves feel soft and dry
2. Squeeze and drain excess liquid, then cool down
3. Mix the spinach leaves with the chopped spring onions, parsley and dill
4. Crumb the cheese with your hands and add to the spinach mix
5. Mix the eggs in a separate bowl and add it to the mix
6. Add a bit of salt, pepper and Baharat spice
Parcels:
1. Heat the oven to 200℃.
2. Cut the filo pastry into small squares
3. Place 1-2 teaspoons of the filling in each square, and fold the sides, brush with olive oil and then complete the folds into a small parcel. Brush again with olive oil
4. Repeat steps 2-3 with the rest of the pastry and filling
5. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool for a bit
Serve with a big portion of Greek or Israeli salad, and some olives!
