Little Filo Cheese Rolls

Crispy, crunchy filo pastry baked around a lovely green onion, feta and ricotta cheese filling makes these little filo cheese rolls the perfect snack.

So it’s the Super Bowl today! As the old Texas saying goes, I don’t have a dog in that fight, but that won’t stop me from setting up my dvr to record the game (since it comes on a 3:30 a.m. Monday morning for me in Dubai) and then watching the most super of bowls munching on snacks and sipping on drinks.

And I am just going to warn you right now that I won’t be on Facebook on Monday until I’ve watched the game. It’s more fun to watch if I don’t already know the winner, don’t you think?

This week for Sunday Supper everyone is making delicious dishes that they would like to eat while watching the big game. The hard part was narrowing it down to just one! But I have to tell you that I am delighted with my choice! Crispy, crunchy filo pastry baked around a lovely green onion, feta and ricotta cheese filling. And as I bit into the first one, I decided it needed a little something to dip it into. So I poured some honey in a ramekin and added a chopped fresh red chili. The saltiness of the cheese was complemented beautifully by the sweet honey with a bite of spicy heat. So good!

Ingredients

1/3 cup or 75g melted butter

About 4 1/2 oz or 125g ricotta

3 1/2 oz or 100g feta

Generous bunch green onions

9 1/2 oz or 270g pack of filo – you won’t use all

Optional dip: About 1/4 cup or 60ml runny honey and one small red chili pepper

Method

Preheat your oven to 325°F or 165°C.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  I give the pan a quick spray with Pam to stop the parchment from slipping around and you might want to do the same.

Finely chop about four inches or 10cm off the ends of your green onions.

In a small bowl, measure out your feta and ricotta and add in the green onions.  Use the tines of your fork to crumble the feta. 

Add in your egg and use your fork to beat it just a little bit.  Mix the whole lot together.  Set aside.

Remove the filo pastry from the package and figure out how to unfold it without ripping it so that you can see exactly how large the sheets are.  This is the trickiest bit of the whole recipe.  Once your sheets are unfolded, decide how you can best cut them into large rectangles of around 4 inches wide and 10-12 inches long. 

As you can see, my sheets were quite large so I ended up cutting them in fourths.  Stack all the layers on top of each other.  Place them on your clean kitchen counter.  I usually lay a piece of cling film down first to make clean up easier.

Brush the top sheet with melted butter and put about a tablespoon full of filling about an inch or two centimeters from the short edge.  

Roll the filo around the filling a couple of times and then fold in the two sides. Continue rolling until you reach the end of the sheet of filo.  Place seam side down on your prepared baking sheet. 

Continue buttering and adding filling and making cheese rolls until all of your filling is gone.  You will probably have some filo sheets left over.

Brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining butter and bake in your preheated oven for around 30-45 minutes or until golden and crispy. 

While there is no official dipping sauce to go with this, as I mentioned above, I mixed a little honey with a chopped fresh red chili and it was lovely with the cheese rolls.  You might want to do the same!

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from an original by Claudia Roden in The Accidental Foodie. 

Have a look at all the wonderful dishes the #SundaySupper crew have prepared today!

#SundaySupper Super Bowl Appetizers & Snacks:

• All American Ranch Cheese Ball from The Weekend Gourmet
• Bacon Double Cheese Burger Dip from In the Kitchen with KP
• Bacon Kettle Corn from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Baked Crab Cakes from The Meltaways
• Buffalo Chicken filled Pull-Apart Loaf from Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Buffalo Chicken Pizza On A Stick from Neighborfood
• Buffalo Tofu Bites from Soni’s Food
• Cheeseburger Bites from Momma’s Meals
• Cheesy Jalapeno Popper Dip from Daily Dish Recipes
• Cranberry Glazed Meatballs from Curious Cuisiniere
• Easy White Queso with Chorizo from Supper for a Steal
• Eggplant Lentil Fritters With Orange Salsa from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• #GlutenFree 7 Layer Bean Dip from Cooking Underwriter
• Gulf Coast Smoked Tuna Dip from 30A Eats
• Ham & Cheese Crescents from Masala Herb
• Ham Crescents {Schinkenhoernle} #DairyFree from Galactopdx
• Little Filo Cheese Rolls from Food Lust People Love
• Mini Crab Bites from Webicurean
• Muffuletta Skewers from Magnolia Days
• Onion Cheddar Cheese Ciabatta from Family Foodie
• Peach Jalapeno Fritters from I Run for Wine
• Philly Cheesesteak Bites from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Pizza Pretzel Rolls from Cravings of a Lunatic
• Pizza Wontons from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Refried Black Beans with Pita Chips from Basic N Delicious
• Roasted Garlic-Bacon Dip from girlichef
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Stamp & Go! from The Lovely Pantry
• Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Dates from Noshing with the Nolands
• Tandoori Spiced Popcorn from MarocMama
• Wonton Cones Filled with Oriental Salad from Simply Gourmet

#SundaySupper Super Bowl Main Dishes:

• Bacon-Wrapped Chili Cheese Dogs from Damn Delicious
• Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Sandwiches from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Chicken in Passion Fruit Crunch from The Urban Mrs.
• Green Chile Cheeseburgers from Juanita’s Cocina
• Grilled Pizza with Sausage and Spinach from Ruffles & Truffles
• Marinated Rump Steak with Chimichurri Sliders from Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Meatball Sub Sliders from Country Girl in the Village
• Oven-Fried Catfish Fingers with Mango-Chili Dip from Pescetarian Journal
• Pigs in Sleeping Bags from Comfy Cuisine
• Turkey Sliders with Roasted Tomatoes from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Vegan “Hamburger Helper” Soup from What Smells So Good?

#SundaySupper Super Bowl Desserts:

• Shortbread Brownies from Baker Street
• Smores Blossom Cookies from Chocolate Moosey
• Sweet Little Pastries from Happy Baking Days
• Sweet Potato Cake Pops from Ninja Baking
• Toddler Truffles from In the Kitchen with Audrey

Pin these little filo cheese rolls!

Deep Chocolate Be Mine Bundt for #BundtaMonth

This one is for all of you folks who don’t have a Bundt pan.  Since this is the month of love and Valentines’ Day, I wanted to show you how you could get on the Bundt love train, without an actual Bundt pan.  I’ll be honest, this was an experiment but I am delighted to say it worked beautifully and you can now go forth and create Bundts in confidence.

The BundtaMonth theme for February is, of course, chocolate.  How could it be anything but?

Since it's the month of love and all, I chose to experiment using my heart pan because nothing says I love you like chocolate in the shape of a heart, am I right?  I followed these directions over on ehow with the addition of pie weights wrapped in parchment paper in the middle of my well-buttered ramekin.  I figured the weights would help hold the ramekin down in the batter and the parchment was insurance against the possibility of ruining my pie beads if the molten batter did flow over into the ramekin.  I’ve got photos below, so scroll on down to see how it worked.

Ingredients
For the cake:
1/2 cup or 115g unsalted butter, plus more to butter the pan and the ramekin
1/3 cup or 30g cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 125g flour, plus more for coating the buttered pan and ramekin
1 cup or 225g sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1/4 cup or 60ml sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Bundt filling and decorating:
1 cup whipping cream
Small container (about 4 1/2 oz or 125g) of raspberries or other pretty red berries.  Yes, red.  Don’t argue.

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Butter the inside of your pan and the outside of the ramekin, thoroughly.  Now flour the inside of the pan and the outside of the ramekin.  If you are using a silicon pan, put it in the center of a metal cookie sheet.  Put the ramekin in the center of your pan.  Wrap your pie weights or some dried beans in a piece of parchment paper and tuck them into the ramekin.  Your makeshift Bundt pan is now ready for business.

In a microwavable glass bowl, add a half cup or 120ml of water to the salt and butter and sift in the cocoa powder.

Microwave for 20 or 30 seconds at a time, whisking in between, until the butter is melted and the cocoa has been incorporated.  Set aside.

In a larger bowl, mix together your flour, sugar and baking powder and baking soda.  Pour in the melted butter mixture and whisk until completely blended.  It will be very thick and look more like brownie batter at this point.

Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until completely blended before adding the second egg.

Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla until smooth.

Pour your batter into the prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Remove the parchment with the pie weights and let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes.  Run a toothpick around the edge of the ramekin to loosen it.   Carefully lift the ramekin out of the hole.  Invert the cake on your baking tray and then turn it right side up again on your serving plate to decorate.

And, yeah, I know it's not all rounded and Bundt-like except for the hole but next time I am going to be more brave and try a deeper pan and more batter with a small metal mixing bowl in the middle to see how that works.

When the cake is completely cool, whip one cup of cream to stiff peaks.  Pile the cream in the hole of the cake and decorate with fresh red berries.  Serve each piece with some of the cream and a few of the berries.

Happy February and enjoy!

Have a look at all the other lovely chocolate Bundts we’ve baked for February below!   And here are just a few simple rules for joining up:

- Simple rule: Use chocolate - and bake us a Bundt for February
- Post it before February 28, 2013.
- Use the #BundtAMonth hashtag in your title. (For ex: title should read #BundtAMonth: Chocolate Cinnamon Bundt)
- Add your entry to the Linky tool below
- Link back to our announcement posts.

Chocolate Berry Bundt Cake by Heather from Hezzi D's Books and Cooks

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Balsamic Strawberry Sauce by Alice from Hip Foodie Mom

Chocolate Chobani Bundt Cake by Carrie from Poet In The Pantry

Chocolate Espresso Bundt Cake by Holly from A Baker’s House

Chocolate Mini Bundts with Matcha Flowers by Kim from Ninja Baking

Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Bundt Cake by Anita from Hungry Couple

Chocolate Rocky Road Bundt Cake by Tara from Noshing With The Nolands

Chocolate Turtle Bundt Cake by Kim from Cravings Of A Lunatic

Deep Chocolate Be Mine Bundt by Stacy from Food Lust People Love

Double Chocolate Swirled Bundt Cake by Laura from The Spiced Life

Chocolate Peanut Butter Layered Bundt Cake by Karen from In The Kitchen With KP

Red Wine Chocolate Bundt Cake with Mascarpone Whipped Cream by Kate from Food Babbles

Sour Cream Chocolate Bundt Cake by Renee from Magnolia Days

Quadruple Chocolate Bundt Cake by Dorothy from Shockingly Delicious

Vanilla and Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake by Anuradha from Baker Street

White Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake by Paula from Vintage Kitchen

 

Meatzza for #ForeverNigella

I was browsing through the internet the other day, as you do, (Tell me it's not just me!) and I came across a blog hop devoted to Nigella Lawson and food your family would love.  The original organizer of the blog hop is Sarah at Maison Cupcake, but the host this month is Sally from Recipe Junkie and the Attack of the Custard Creams.  I could appreciate Sally’s attachment to Nigella and baking.  She went through a challenging time when her child was quite ill a few years ago and baking from Nigella's How to Become a Domestic Goddess gave her structure and something she could control.  While my feeling-out-of-control issues are not on par with hers, with all our moving about, I could definitely relate.  If my kitchen is in working order, I am in a safe, familiar place.

I decided to join the blog hop by making a Nigella recipe from her latest book, Nigellissima.  Whenever we have pizza, my motto is always the more meat, the better.  And the thinner the crust, the better.  This recipe goes one step further on both counts.  No crust at all and it’s basically all meat.  I added cooked lentils because 1. I like them, 2. I knew they would taste good and 3. they would make me feel better about eating what is basically a big hamburger patty with tomatoes and cheese.  This is comfort food for sure.  If you are trying to restrict carbs in your diet, this is the perfect pizza, or rather, meatzza for you.

Ingredients
1 lb 2 oz or 500g ground or minced beef
3/4 cup or 100g cooked lentils
3/4 oz or about 20g Parmesan
Small handful fresh parsley
2 eggs
2 cloves garlic
Sea salt
Black pepper to taste
Olive oil
1 can 14 oz or 400g chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Crushed red pepper - optional
1 ball mozzarella – about 4 1/2 oz or 125g – plain or with basil
1 small bunch fresh basil – for garnish

Method
Preheat your oven to 425°F or 220°C.

Chop your parsley and pour your canned tomatoes into a sieve to drain.  (Save the juice for soup or another dish.)

Put your ground beef, lentils, parsley and eggs in a large mixing bowl.  Grate in the Parmesan and one of the cloves of garlic and add a good sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Stir until just mixed through.

Oil a shallow, round baking tin.  For a thinner crust, choose a wider baking pan.  Mine was only about 8 in or 21cm so this was definitely a deep pan meatzz.  Press the meat mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan.

In another bowl, put your well-drained tomatoes, a little sprinkle of salt and the oregano.  Grate in the second clove of garlic and give it a good drizzle of olive oil.  Mix well.

Spread the seasoned tomatoes onto your meat and then sprinkle with some crushed red pepper, if using.

Slice the mozzarella and arrange the slices on top of the tomatoes.

Bake for 25-35 minutes, depending on the thickness of your meat layer.  I was a little bit concerned initially because the meat juices came up and around the tomatoes and cheese, which was not attractive.  But at the end of the cooking time, the top was browned and it was all good.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.  Decorate with the basil and cut in wedges to serve.  I served a good wedge along side a salad of arugula or rocket with a simple vinaigrette to complete the meal.

Nigella’s recipe says it serves four to six people but even with a side salad and my addition of the lentils, I don’t think you could stretch this to feed more than four.   It was delicious though and I would definitely make it again.

Enjoy!

And again, check out the other #ForeverNigella favorites in the blog hop right here.