End of year celebrations being less than a month away by the time I write this post, I am trying not to overindulge before the big food days! Tonight on the menu is something elegant that could actually be served as a light starter at Christmas time actually 😀 Who says we can’t dine fancy and light on a school night hey?!

I have made those parcels in the past in muffin tins to make little finger foods at party, they are always a success and something a bit lighter thanks to the filo pastry.

Those thin sheets of dough are a time saver as they cook super fast and whatever I prepare with it always looks festive!✨

Traditionally, you would need to brush each layer abundantly with butter or oil but I try to spray them with cooking oil and spread it with my fingers to limit the fat used and to be honest, it still comes out super crunchy and golden!

Here’s how I made them:

My spinach, potato and pea filo parcels 🌿🥔

Servings: 7 portions

Time required: 50 minutes

Equipment required: Cooking ring (10cm in diameter)

Ingredients

• 400 g of frozen spinach
• 400 g new potatoes (or any waxy potatoes)
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 250 g of ricotta cheese
• 50 g of mature cheddar cheese or any strong cheese you fancy (feta to taste like spinakopita!)
• 2 tbsp of chopped chives
• 7 sheets of filo pastry (I used the ones from Jus-Rol, the pack has an odd number of sheets for some reason…)
• 1 tsp of nutmeg
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
• Olive oil spray

For the Sauce:

• 5 jarred roasted red peppers
• 200 mL of tomato passata
• Ground black pepper to taste
• Pinch of salt
• Drizzle of garlic infused olive oil

Instructions

1. Boil some water whilst you chop small pieces of cleaned potatoes, skin on
2. Add the potatoes to the water and boil for 6-7 minutes
3. In a large bowl, add the frozen spinach and pour boiling water to cover everything then wait 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to defrost them
4. Switch on the oven to 180°C fan assisted or 190°C for a conventional one
5. Drain the spinach in a sieve and if some spinach parts are still frozen, repeat the process of Step 3
6. Squeeze with your hands as much water out as possible from the spinach then reserve in a bowl
7. Put the frozen peas in the sieve then pour out your potatoes and cooking liquid through it (it will defrost the peas at the same time!)
8. Add the ricotta, nutmeg, salt, pepper, chives and cheddar to the spinach then stir
9. Add then the potatoes and peas then mix again
10. Cut each filo sheet in 2 (20cmx20cm) and spray them with olive oil (6-7 sprays) and use your finger to rub as much surface as possible
11. Overlay 2 sheets in a cooking ring placed on a baking sheet then stuff the inside with some of the spinach filling up to the rim
12. Bring the overhanging sheets onto the center to close up the parcels and press it down to shape it in the ring
13. Remove the ring and repeat the process for all the remaining filo pastry and filling
14. Spray couple of times the surface of each parcels and dab it with your finger so that you will have a nice golden crispy finish
15. Bake for 15 minutes in the oven or until golden brown
16. Prepare the sauce by blending the red pepper, passata, black pepper and salt then a dash of garlic infused olive oil
17. Serve the parcels on the red pepper sauce with a side salad as garnish

Voila!

At Christmas, I also make this a little more indulgent in muffin tins with some chunks of brie, a dollop of cranberry sauce and some rosemary. Delish!🎄

You can also make them in a sweet version with apple pieces cooked in honey with cinnamon! Many variations for you to try and experiment…

Enjoy!