Served warm, oozing melted Stanage Millstone cheese, these filo pastry parcels are really simple to make, and such a pretty, totally delicious meal for any occasion.
Preparation time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 45 minutes | Serves 2 as a main meal or 4 as a starter.
Ingredients
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Approx. 200g vine-ripened cherry tomatoes
Up to 4 cloves of garlic (to taste)
1 tbsp pine nuts
1 Stanage Millstone cheese
25g sundried tomatoes, preserved in oil, chopped to the size of raisins (approx. 3 tomato halves)
1-2 tsp pesto (optional, I use wild garlic)
A few sheets of filo pastry (keep covered when not using)
Approx. 25g butter, melted
Rapeseed oil, for cooking
Salt and pepper
Wild rocket and watercress salad, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper or baking parchment.
Roast the whole cumin seeds in a dry frying pan until they darken a little, then grind into a powder using a pestle and mortar.
Place the whole tomatoes and peeled garlic onto a baking tray with a splash rapeseed oil, salt and pepper and a sprinkling of the crushed roasted cumin. Roast slowly in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the tomatoes are softened and the skins are becoming loose.
Meanwhile, make the filling for the Stanage Millstone. Start by toasting the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until slightly browned and place into small bowl. Add the chopped sundried tomatoes, and the pesto, if using.
Cut the cheese horizontally around the equator, as if you were making a sandwich.
Cut the filo into 20cm squares, remembering to keep the sheets of filo covered when you are not working with them to prevent them from drying out. Place one square flat onto the prepared tray and brush with the melted butter. Lay the next sheet on top, twisted slightly so that the points do not line up and brush with butter. Repeat until all the squares have been added.
Place the bottom of the cheese into the middle of the filo squares and spoon on the sundried tomato mixture, saving a teaspoonful for the hole in the top piece of cheese. Place the other half of the cheese on the top and add the filling to the hole.
Scrunch the filo pastry up the edges of the cheese, leaving the top of the cheese uncovered in the centre. Try not to leave any single layers of pastry as they may burn. Use the butter as a glue to help it stick, and on the top layers of pastry to encourage it to brown.
Increase the oven to 180°C. Cook the cheese for 10-15 minutes or until the pastry is cooked. The cheese may run when the parcel is cut. Serve with the roasted tomatoes and garlic, and a wild rocket and watercress salad.
The ingredients used for the filling can be altered as the cheese goes with many different flavours, especially when its melted.
Source - The Sheffield Cook Book | Second Helpings |
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