Pork, Spinach and Pine Nut Parcels

I love the crispness of filo pastry and biting into whatever delicious goodness is wrapped inside – but layering multiple sheets on top of each other always seems like hard work.  Then I saw Jamie Oliver make his filo briks on 15-Minute Meals and I decided that I had to try it.  This recipe is based on the technique he uses for his crab briks.

Makes 4 parcels

Ingredients

80g pine nuts

20g light olive oil

1 clove garlic

400g pork mince

Salt and pepper to season

2 tsp Thermomix stock concentrate

4 handfuls baby spinach (approximately 75g)

4 sheets filo pastry, defrosted

Instructions

1. Add pine nuts into the Thermomix bowl and roast for 5 minutes/Varoma/Reverse/Speed 1; remove to a small bowl

2. Add garlic and chop for 3 seconds/Speed 3

3. Add oil and cook with the measuring cup (MC) off for 1 minute/100C/Speed 1

4. Add mince, salt and pepper and cook with the MC off for 10 minutes/Varoma/Reverse/Speed soft

5. Add stock and spinach and cook with MC off for 3 minutes/100C/Reverse/Speed soft

6. Remove mixture to the Thermomix basket to cool; rest over a small bowl to catch any liquid

7. Once the mixture has cooled, squeeze out any extra liquid, add pine nuts and mix together

8. To make the parcels, take a sheet of filo pastry and fold it in half

9. Put 1/4 of the meat mixture into the centre of the pastry and form into a loosely packed rectangle about 2cm high

10. Fold in the sides of the pastry on the short side and then fold up tightly into a parcel

11. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of pastry

12. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, place each parcel into the pan and cook until both sides are golden brown

Serving Suggestions

Serve with hummus or natural yoghurt

Tips and Hints

1. Don’t let the filo pastry dry out – cover with a clean tea towel when making the parcels

2. It’s important to let the meat cool and to get rid of as much liquid as possible so the parcels don’t get soggy

3. When frying the parcels, place the edges against the sides of the pan to cook the pastry on all sides