Spring harvests include Baby Spinach, Spring Onions and Thyme. The addition of high quality Greek Barrel Feta, farm fresh Eggs and Garlic make for a delicious, savory, kid-friendly Mediterranean inspired snack and one of Dean’s all time favorite foods.

You can play around with the filling here, depending on what’s on hand and in season. I sometimes add Cream Cheese or Mozzarella to the Feta, both are delicious additions as well as different herbs including Mint or Parsley. You could season with Honey, some toasted Sesame Seeds, or Zaatar depending on your mood.

Organic Ingredients, makes 10-12 Rolls

4 Sheets Filo Pastry
150 grams Baby Spinach
150 grams Feta Cheese, crumbled
1 Egg
2 Cloves Garlic, peeled & crushed or minced
4 Spring Onions, chop off the dark green tops and discard. Finely dice white and light green parts
A handful of Thyme Sprigs, remove leaves from stems and discard stems, you’ll want approximately 2 tbsps. Thyme Leaves
1 Cup Olive Oil, for brushing
Salt & Pepper to taste

You’ll need a pastry brush or similar.

Notes:

You can make these up to a day ahead refrigerated in an air tight container. Re-heat in the oven for a few minutes.

Working with Filo is tricky at first and requires you to be quick otherwise it can dry out and become difficult to work with. This means, make sure your Filo is adequately thawed per package instructions. Only remove the number of sheets you’re using for this recipe. Wrap, roll, cover, and refrigerate the rest until ready to use. Thawed sheets, if packaged well, can be stored in the fridge for a few days or re-frozen for longer periods.

When I’m making a recipe with Filo, I’ll often use the whole box and make various recipes with Filo in a period of a few days as to not re-freeze thawed pastry which can jeopardize the quality of the Pastry.

Method

Make the filling, pre-heat your oven, and have everything ready before unwrapping your Filo.

Place the Spinach and half a teaspoon of Salt in a medium sized stainless steel pot on medium heat. Cover and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. No need to add any liquid.

Place Spinach on top of a strainer and press/squeeze out excess moisture. You want it as dry as you can get it.

Finely chop Spinach and place into a bowl with crushed Garlic, crumbled Feta and finely chopped Scallions. Taste your filling and season with Salt & Black Pepper to taste.

Place the Filo Sheets under a slightly damp kitchen towel to stop them from drying out. Lay one sheet of Filo on a work surface and cut lengthways into three even width strips approximately 4” wide. Oil the Pastry by lightly brushing Olive Oil over the entirety of the sheet. With the shorter ends facing you, spoon the filling onto the Filo sheet and roll by following the step by step pictures below.

Arrange the rolls, seam-side down on a baking sheet. Brush with a little Olive Oil before baking in a 375f for 20 minutes or until golden. Enjoy.