Feta and Spinach Filo Swirls

If you have ever been to Greece you have likely tried spanakopita, and these swirls are my take on it. Grab your tin of cooked spinach purée from the world food aisle in your local supermarket, or use frozen chopped spinach, and give these cheesy, crunchy swirls a go!

Makes: 8

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 800g tinned spinach purée, or 30 cubes of frozen chopped spinach (roughly 800g), defrosted
• a large handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• a large handful of fresh dill, finely chopped
• 200g feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• a good grind of black pepper
• 1 pack of filo pastry (you will need 8 sheets)
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Method

If making ahead to freeze:

1. Put the spinach in a clean tea towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
2. Place the drained spinach in a mixing bowl with the parsley, dill, feta and egg. Add the salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Lay one sheet of filo pastry on your work surface and brush it all over with olive oil. Keep the other sheets of filo under a damp tea towel to stop them drying out.
4. Add 1/8 of the filling in a line along the bottom of the filo sheet, just in from the edge, then loosely roll up the pastry into a long sausage shape. Coil it round carefully to create a spiral, making sure not to roll it too tight, otherwise the pastry may break. Brush the swirl well with olive oil. Repeat to make the other 7 swirls.
5. Open your large labelled freezer bag. Keeping the bag flat, put in the swirls, leaving space so they don’t stick together. If stacking them on top of each other, add a layer of baking parchment to stop them sticking and place flat in the freezer until fully frozen.

To cook in the oven from frozen:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the frozen swirls on a lined baking tray and cook for 22–25 minutes, until golden.

To cook in the air fryer from frozen:

• Preheat the air fryer to 180°C. Put the frozen swirls on some baking parchment and cook for 12–14 minutes, flipping over halfway through, until golden.

If cooking now:

• Follow the method in the ‘making ahead to freeze’ section up until you’ve made all 8 swirls.

To cook in the oven:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the swirls on a lined baking tray and cook for 20–22 minutes, until golden.

To cook in the air fryer:

• Preheat the air fryer to 180°C. Place the swirls on baking parchment and cook for 12 minutes, flipping over halfway through, until golden.

Tip: Serve with a lovely side salad and some tzatziki.