You can’t really taste the spinach for the cheese in this recipe. The filo pastry makes it a crunchy, tasty and fun way to enjoy your greens! This recipe is a little salty (even though no salt is added) so serve it with a salad and/or roast veg.  Suitable for children over 12 months.

Makes: 1 large or 6 small
Prep: 20 mins Cook: 60 mins

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 leek
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch spinach or silverbeet
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 – 1 cup tasty cheese (depending how cheesy you want it)
• 1/3 cup feta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 packet filo pastry (18 sheets)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, extra
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Dice onion, cut ends off leek and then cut lengthways and then into semi circles , crush garlic and cut shreds of the green leaves of spinach/silverbeet
3. Heat oil in a large pan on medium
4. Add onion, garlic and leek and cook for about 5 mins until softened
5. Add spinach/silverbeet and cook until wiltered, stirring often (5-10 mins)
6. Cool slightly
7. Grate cheeses and crumble feta
8. Add cheeses and egg to mixture and mix well. (I add it to the frypan to save washing up but make sure your fry pan is cool first so egg doesn’t cook)
9. On a dry surface, carefully place a sheet of filo pastry
10. Using a pastry brush, dot a little olive oil onto filo
11. Place a second sheet of filo on top and then oil and a third
12. Spoon about 4 tablespoons of mixture along the bottom of the filo sheet (long edge) leaving 3cm gap at the bottom
13. Roll filo up from the bottom to encase the filling and made a sausage shape
14. Now roll it into a snail shape and place on a lined baking tray
15. Continue to make ‘sausages’ and roll each one around the last to create a large spiral. With the last filo sheet you make, leave 6cm on the side edge with no filling as that way when you roll the last one around the spiral, you can tuck the edge under
16. Brush remaining olive oil on top of spiral snail
17. Sprinkle with sesame seeds
18. Bake in oven for 60 minutes
19. Cool slightly and enjoy

Notes

To make smaller individual snails, leave a 6cm side edge with no filling on each ‘sausage’ and roll into indiviual snails.

Fun variation: add a small tub of ricotta and a sprinkle nutmeg to the mix.

If you want it ready sooner, you can bake it at 200°C for 45 mins (but the inside filo is less crispy).

Use leftover filo to make fruity filos for dessert, try apple and cinnamon or banana and brown sugar.

Add some colour to the plate with these side salads and greens.