Filo snails

• Makes 2 pastries, to serve two people
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 shallots, chopped finely
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and pressed
• 150g mushrooms, oyster, shitake or a mix of wild, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper
• 250g spinach, frozen and thawed or fresh
• 100g cooking mozzarella or feta, diced
• 3 large sheets of filo pastry
• 50g butter, melted, for brushing
• poppy seeds, sesame seeds for topping

METHOD

1. Melt the butter in a pan, add the chopped shallots and cook on medium heat until translucent and softened. Add the pressed garlic and the mushrooms and season well with salt and pepper. Turn up the heat, cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes until softened.

2. Roughly chop the frozen spinach and squeeze out the moisture. If using fresh, just wash it and chop roughly. Stir the spinach into the mushrooms and cook for further 10 minutes. Leave to cool.

3. If you’re using mozzarella (depends on the preference but please note what I say above about using mozzarella), the snails will tend to spread more and the cheese might ooze through the sides, it tastes really nice though. Add the cheese to the mushrooms and spinach mixture and stir in well.

4. Lay a filo sheet on a work surface and brush with melted butter. Cut the third sheet in half and lay it on top, close to the longer edge. Brush it with butter.

5. Spoon half the filling alongside the long edge in a row, roll it upwards and coil the roll into a snail. Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment and brush the top with more butter. Roll and coil the other snail in the same way.

6. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas 5. Sprinkle the snails with sesame and/or poppy and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and crisp. Let them rest for a few minutes before serving as the filling will be scorching hot.

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See also

Lamb pastillas

Spinach and mushroom lentils