MARVELLOUS MIDDLE EASTERN FILO ROLLS

My Kitchen Rules Australia is really giving me some food inspiration. First with the beetroot hummus I made a few weeks ago and last week I veggiefied another recipe to make these middle eastern spiced Quorn mince filo rolls. I finally got to use my pot of baharat spices that I've had for ages as well so it was win win all round. These crispy sesame seed sprinkled filo rolls are also stuffed with salty feta, soft sultanas, fresh spinach leaves and crunchy sunflower seeds . They were quite the yummy and I can see why they were marked so highly on the show!

As this is a recipe I've amended I won't talk about ways in which you can change it here but instead if you want to follow the original recipe which uses lamb mince as well as some other ingredients that differ slightly from the below you can find it by clicking the link here. You might find that it's more suited to your palette so try the recipe which you think sounds the most delicious.

With that being said here is my version. It will make six rolls which you can cook straight away if you have 6 people to cook for or you can cook as many as you need and then wrap and freeze any left over rolls prior to baking for up to 1 month. Make sure they are fully defrosted before baking. You can find baharat in world food shops, online or maybe on the spice stall at your local food market. If you can get some please do, the flavor is delicious and it'll be well worth it I promise you. 

Veggie Middle Eastern Filo Rolls

400g Quorn Mince

1 Finely Diced White Onion

2 Grated Garlic Cloves

1 Tsp Ground Coriander

1 Tsp Ground Cumin

4 Tsp Baharat

Large Handful Of Sultanas 

50g Spinach Leaves

Juice Of Half A Lemon

1 Tbsp Sunflower Seeds

150g Crumbled Feta

18 Sheets Filo Pastry

125g Melted Butter 

1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds

1. Begin by placing a lightly oiled pan on a medium heat and add in the mince and onions and fry until the onions have begun to soften. 
2. Add in the garlic and fry for another minute before adding in the coriander, cumin and baharat and frying for a further minute.
3. Add in the sultanas and spinach and keep frying until the spinach has wilted and then remove the pan from the heat and transfer the contents to a bowl. 
4. Add in the lemon juice, sunflower seeds and feta and mixeverything together until well combined. Pop into the fridge until cool.
5. When your mixture is cool, take the filo sheets and on a lightly floured surface layer three of the sheets on top of each other, brushing between each layer with butter as you go. Brush the top layer with more butter and then take 1/6 of the mixture and spoon it in a line across the longest edge of the filo leaving a 2cm gap from the end (see picture).
6. Take the end of the filo and roll it over the filling and keep rolling to form a long sausage shaped parcel. Tuck in the edges and then brush all over with more butter to seal all the edges.Sprinkle with some sesame seeds and then place the roll on a baking tray lined with grease proof paper.
7. At this point, turn your oven on to 200 degrees (180 fan) and then continue to assemble the rolls as above until you have 6 completed rolls on your baking tray.
8. Pop into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, turning the tray halfway through baking until the rolls are golden brown all over and the pastry is crisp.

Your rolls are now ready to remove from the oven and serve. I advise cutting the rolls in half for a bit before eating as the filling will be piping hot and you run the risk of burning your mouth so be very careful. Once you do crack through the crisp pastry with the little crunch of sesame seed all over it you will get to the gorgeous onion and mince filling flavored with the yummy middle eastern baharat spices. The fresh spinach, sultanas, sunflower seeds and the soft melted feta make for a truly delicious and unique veggie dish that can only be described as one thing; Marvelous!