Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing.
- 1 leek, white part only, finely chopped.
- 650 g nettles, about 2 bunches.
- 1 handful dill, roughly chopped.
- 200 g ricotta.
- 100 g feta, crumbled.
- 1 teaspoon sea salt.
- 14 filo pastry sheets.
Hummus
- 1 teaspoon sea salt.
- 400 g tinned chickpeas, rinsed and drained.
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.
- 125 ml olive oil.
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed fresh garlic.
Directions
- 1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4
. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the leek and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the nettles, then cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until wilted. Set aside to cool, then drain the mixture in a sieve to remove any excess liquid.
3. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the dill, ricotta, feta and salt. Season with freshly ground black pepper and stir to combine.
4. Lay out one sheet of filo pastry. Scoop 2 tablespoons of the nettle filling across the shortest edge of the pastry, leaving a 2 cm (¾ in) border all around the filling. Roll the pasty over the mixture a few times, then fold in the edges. Continue rolling the pastry, brushing the end with a little oil and seal it into a cigar.
5. Place on the baking tray, seam side down, and brush with more olive oil. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling, then bake for 10–15 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
6. Meanwhile, place all the hummus ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth, adding a little water as you go if the mixture is too thick. Transfer the hummus to a small bowl and serve with the filo cigars.
Note
This is an edited extract from The Vegetable by Vicki Valsamis and Caroline Griffiths. Published by Smith Street Books. RRP $49.99.
Homemade hummus really sets this dish off, but if you don’t have the time to make your own, a good quality store-bought one will do. Encased in crunchy filo pastry, these cigars are irresistible served warm out of the oven, but are also quite tasty cold.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing.
- 1 leek, white part only, finely chopped.
- 650 g nettles, about 2 bunches.
- 1 handful dill, roughly chopped.
- 200 g ricotta.
- 100 g feta, crumbled.
- 1 teaspoon sea salt.
- 14 filo pastry sheets.
Hummus
- 1 teaspoon sea salt.
- 400 g tinned chickpeas, rinsed and drained.
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.
- 125 ml olive oil.
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed fresh garlic.
Directions
- 1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4
. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the leek and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the nettles, then cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until wilted. Set aside to cool, then drain the mixture in a sieve to remove any excess liquid.
3. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the dill, ricotta, feta and salt. Season with freshly ground black pepper and stir to combine.
4. Lay out one sheet of filo pastry. Scoop 2 tablespoons of the nettle filling across the shortest edge of the pastry, leaving a 2 cm (¾ in) border all around the filling. Roll the pasty over the mixture a few times, then fold in the edges. Continue rolling the pastry, brushing the end with a little oil and seal it into a cigar.
5. Place on the baking tray, seam side down, and brush with more olive oil. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling, then bake for 10–15 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
6. Meanwhile, place all the hummus ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth, adding a little water as you go if the mixture is too thick. Transfer the hummus to a small bowl and serve with the filo cigars.
Note
This is an edited extract from The Vegetable by Vicki Valsamis and Caroline Griffiths. Published by Smith Street Books. RRP $49.99.