Easter is almost here and I really have to share this feta and ricotta cheese filo wraps with you. It is a must make, must eat and a definite and guaranteed repeat! It’s the best thing in the world if you ask me. These will definitely be on my Easter table this coming weekend.
It is made with Phyllo (filo) pastry sheets that are simply made up of flour, water and oil. You can nowadays find gluten free Filo here in the UK but whererver you are in the world it is worth checking as I am sure you will be able to find some.
Okay, the pastry in this recipe isn’t a homemade one since this takes proper time, so much patience and not to mention the amount of skill to produce something like that resembling a thin sheet of paper. It’s not easy!
It also requires a fair amount of space to progressively roll and stretch to what it’ll have to end up in a single thin and very large sheet with constant flouring between every layer to prevent tearing and also drying out. Amazing!
I can’t do it!! Skill maybe I will manage to find some (my grandma used to make it so hopefully a bit of that genes lie within 😊) but patience….? No, thanks, that’s what I won’t find unless I could buy some somewhere… any tips?😁🙏
I’m really happy, 😊 thankful and grateful though that the filo pastry nowadays can easily be found and it is available to buy in almost any supermarket, both, fresh and frozen.
For this filo rolls which are Börek style I always use spinach or dill and feta mixed with ricotta cheese filling.
This recipe goes a long way …
The original recipe that my grandma used to make only requires feta cheese with either dill or spinach but I do add ricotta to simply diminish the saltiness as I don’t like it very salty. There is a way of desalting the feta cheese and that is to put the chunks/blocks into cold water for at least a couple of hours if no ricotta is available.
The outcome on this rolls guys….. is, mama mia 👌👌🏽👌🏻…pure deliciousness.
It is pretty filling so this would be perfect for a lunch and served with a nice leafy salad which could be even a fresh spinach salad. More spinach!? 😊 😜 Oh yes, the more the merrier. You do remember what effects spinach has always had on Popeye. 💪🏋🏼😊
The beauty about this filo rolls is that it could be vegan, vegetarian or can be made with meat, so it is pretty versatile.
I personally love having/serving it with a nice cold glass of kefir. It is how my grandma used to give it to us and I love keeping it that way because I think it’s the best.
Origins….
In Turkey, where this recipe originates from, people like to have it along with a glass of Turkish tea and it is mainly served for breakfast. I can have it any time of the day without a moan. Oh yes.
Let’s get started as I can’t wait any longer, so here it comes the recipe! 📢🔉
Feta, ricotta cheese
Ingredients
- 250 g feta cheese made into crumbs
- 200 g ricotta cheese
- 350 g fresh spinach washed and roughly chopped
- 12 Filo pastry sheets
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp Sesame seeds I used black and white
- 4-5 springs fresh dill
- 1/2 tp Pink Himalayan salt *
- 1 egg for egg wash
- 1 small onion (optional)
If you want them moist:
- 1 egg
- 2-3 tbsp yogurt full fat
- 50 ml milk
For crispy fillo:
- 3-4 tbs olive oil or butter
Instructions
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Take the pastry sheets out of the fridge for at least 15 min before handling to avoid breaking although sheets are a lot easier to handle and they warm quicker than puff or crust pastry.
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Cook the washed, drained and chopped spinach. You may wish to use onion, if so, chop and sweat that first with 1 tbsp of olive oil for a few minutes and then add the spinach. Cook until all water will evaporate. Spinach has to be well drained so it doesn't need cooking for too long. 2-3 min will be sufficient. Once finished, set aside to cool.
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Preheat the oven on at 190 C, prepare the oven tray, line with baking paper and set aside.
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Grab a bowl, put in the feta cheese which you shouldmake into small crumbles with the help of a fork. Once this is done, add the ricotta cheese and mix well. Add salt only if your feta is not salty or you would really want them fairly salty. I do recommend however to taste the cheese before so that you know what level of saltines that is. Then decide if you like to add any more. Add the egg only if you wish. I sometimes like it without. Add a pinch or two of freshly ground pepper. I normally split them into two at this point because I can't give up on the dill version. I always must have some with dill and some with spinach separately.
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Add the cooked spinach and the dill separately if you split the cheese or you could add both to the whole cheese mix. So, let's get rolling! Take out one pastry sheet, fold into two to get a rectangle shape.
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Optionally, brush with a little oil or melted butter(for extra crispness) not necessary though, add a spoon full or two of the cheese composition (on the shorter side of the rectangle) but don't go all the way to the edges so that the pastry sheet margins could be folded in slightly, and then roll or make little parcels just like I did. Roll or pack lengthwise. There is no right or wrong but the only thing I will say at this point is to not overload the sheets with too much cheese as there should be a right balance between the amount of pastry and the one of cheese.
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Place the rolls/parcels on a greaseproof, egg wash each, sprinkle the mixed sesame seeds. When all finished place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes at 190 C
Recipe Notes
If you only have frozen spinach, this should be thawed overnight in the fridge. Before using as no cooking is required but just squeeze out as much water as you possibly can and it's good to go in the cheese mixture.
These filo rolls can not only be filled with cheese but also with meat, vegetables such as potatoes, leeks, broccoli and... get a little creative now.😉🙃 Feel free to sweat an onion and cook with the spinach. It adds a little sweetness and flavour if you wish.
I love them crispy and therefore I brush with oil or butter but if you’d like them rather moist, mix 3-4 tbsp of full fat yoghurt and 50 ml of milk with one large egg (hence my asterisk on egg in ingredients list), beat properly and then brush slightly each sheet before putting the cheese on and roll.
Also, most of the time I add half a teaspoon of turmeric to the cheese mix for some extra healthy punch.
I use turmeric in so many recipes nowadays whether that is sweet or savoury. Turmeric has no particular taste unless you overly do it but it is very healthy, so, go for it.
Ejoy it!
This looks delicious! Have you ever thought of joining us for Fiesta Fridays? Check out the guidelines and link up at fiestafriday.net later today when it opens (around 1pm BST), it's a great way to meet up with other foodies!
Ginger x
I definitely will, thank you Ginger! Xx
This looks delicious, Ramona! What a lovely and beautiful dish. Why don't you share it with us at Fiesta Friday? Have a look at FiestaFriday.net, link it up, say hello to the others and see where it takes you. It's such a wonderfully supportive community!
Have a lovely long weekend,
Ginger x
Thank you Ginger. Will defo look into it. Many thanks Ramona xx
I noticed that the recipe does not give the specifications for the amount of ricotta. Also Step 3 has the oven preheat at 180 C , but the last step states to cook at 190 C for 20-25 minutes. I am really excited about making this recipe and want to make sure I have all the steps correct! Thanks and have a wonderful holiday season!
Thank you for stopping by and for pointing out the missing ingredient. Not sure 🤔 how that went unnoticed, I have added the ricotta cheese. The oven can be preheated at 180C and increased at 190C when putting the filos in but I’ve changed that for ease.
Happy cooking and let me know how it went. Many thanks and happy holidays to you too!
Ramona 🤗
Oh my word!!! These look amazing! I agree with you, not enough patience in me to make my own phyllo! It probably is better but I don’t mind the store bought stuff! I love your use of dill in this recipe! I would never have thought to pair dill with feta! I must try!
Thank you so much Beth – dill and feta ! oh! just try it 😉 I am sure it’ll be love at first… taste 😉
Definitely making this on Easter too. Looks so delicious and healthy. Can’t wait to try this. I love that you are using Pink Himalayan salt in it. Thanks for this recipe!.
Thank you Arjhon,
I am very happy to hear you liked this recipe – do let me know how you liked it when you will be making it- I make it all throughout the year – whenever we fancy it – it is a great tasty cheese savoury delight indeed. 😉
That filling sounds amazing, I really must give these a try… However I will have to swap phyllo with Brik pastry, I can’t believe we can’t get phyllo here but brik we can, but lets face it life is way too short for anyone other than the most committed loon to be making phyllo at home 😮
Hi Brian,
Brik pastry will work wonderfully with this so go for it – it is so wonderful – I am actually salivating despite having it not so long ago. Bon appetite! Oh, I do agree phyllo is too hard to make at home, however, my grandma was always making it from scratch and man, it was so perfect – I do miss that 😉