Spinach and Feta Scrolls

At times, even I get bored with spanakopita!  Yes it’s true!  Lately I’ve wanted to get creative with traditional Greek recipes and bring a little “oomph” to them.  So…out with spanakopita (for the time being) and in with the scrolls.  Whilst flicking through the April edition of Delicious magazine I came across a recipe for blue cheese and pecan scrolls.  I immediately loved the whole concept of this and decided to change the ingredients by substituting feta, spinach and walnuts.  What a hit!  They were wonderful served warm as a snack with coffee and perfect for a quick breakfast the next morning.

I also made my own pastry for once.  It was quite simple actually and even I was surprised at the ease of this.  Buttery, flaky and very delicious!  And all made in the food processor.  Once I rolled out the pastry, I spread it with my spinach and cheese mixture and freshly crushed walnuts.  I rolled it up into a log and cut it into slices.  Brushed with a little egg and baked for 15 mins…voila!  Freshly baked scrolls.

RECIPE FOR SPINACH AND FETA SCROLLS

(adapted from the April 2009 edition of Delicious magazine)

For the pastry:

• 2 cups of self raising flour
• 1 tsp of caster sugar
• 80 grams of chilled, chopped good quality butter
• 1/2 a cup of milk

Place all ingredients except milk into a food processor and whizz until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Tip this mixture into a bowl and add the milk and mix thoroughly with a fork until it forms a soft dough.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until it’s quite smooth  Shape into a 35 x 20 cm rectangle.

For the filling:

• 2 big bunches of freshly chopped spinach, quickly blanched and squeezed of any excess water.  (makes approx 150 grams)
• 1 cup of crumbled feta
• 1 egg
• half a cup of grated Romano cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup of crushed walnuts

Place all the ingredients, excluding the walnuts in a food processor and whizz until you have a nice, creamy paste.

Spread the spinach mixture on the freshly rolled dough and spread the walnuts evenly on top.  Roll the dough up until it resembles a log, making sure to  seal it with a little beaten egg on the final roll.  Place the roll into a refrigerator and allow it chill for 2 hours.  Preheat the oven to 200 deg C.  Gently transfer the roll onto a cutting board and using a lightly floured serrated knife cut into 2cm thick slices.  Arrange the slices on a baking tray, leaving a little room between them to allow for spreading during cooking.  Brush a little egg on the top and sides and bake for 15 mins until golden.

Tagged as: feta, Greek, Recipes, spinach