Spinach Filo Pastries with Goat's Cheese and Chocolate
A Middle Eastern inspired vegetarian snack which is very hard to resist. These filo pastries layer up spinach, goat's cheese, fresh mint and a little chocolate. They make a great snack, starter or addition to a mezze style feast.
125gspinachor spinach type leaf (I used homegrown orach)
grating of nutmeg
good grinding of black pepper
50gsoft goat’s cheese
1sprigfresh mintfinely chopped
25gunsalted butter
20gdark chocolatecut into rough chunks (I used 85%)
3filo (phyllo) pastry sheets
Instructions
In a large pan, sweat the shallots and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes.
Added a the freshly washed & still wet spinach to the pan and cover with a lid. Simmer until wilted (about 5 minutes). Remove from the heat. If the mixture is too wet, drain off any surplus liquid. (I didn't need to)
Grate in a little nutmeg and some black pepper.
Stir in the goat's cheese and mint.
Melt the butter.
Cut the filo sheets lengthways into 4 long strips & brush each with melted butter.
Place a large teaspoonful of the spinach mixture onto the bottom of each strip.
Add a couple of chocolate chunks & wrap in the pastry to form 12 triangles.
Brush the triangles with melted butter.
Place on an oiled baking tray and bake at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for 10 minutes until crisp and golden.
Notes
Best eaten whilst warm from the oven.If you like your food well seasoned, you may want to add some salt to the spinach mixture. I thought the goat's cheese was salty enough.For a step-by-step guide on how to make filo triangles, head to my spanakopita recipe.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They're approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.