Ricotta Filo Parcel

Last year when I was in WA for work I had an amazing filo parcel for dinner at a tiny little restaurant in Southern Cross. I don't know if it tasted so good because it was fantastic or because I had been eating pub food for about 20 days straight! Regardless, ever since then I have been meaning to try my hand a making one and tonight I finally got around to it. I can't really remember what was in that parcel I ate over a year ago so I just put in some of my favourite ingredients - and it turned out beautifully. Here's the recipe:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees

• 8 sheets filo pastry
• 1/4 eggplant, diced
• 1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 5 leaves of silver beet, sliced
• 1 can tinned tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• 150-200g ricotta
• salt and pepper
• Italian herbs

To make ~

• Fry the eggplant in olive oil and then set aside.
• In the same pan add the cherry tomatoes and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Cook until the tomato skin starts to blister and then set aside. 
• Saute the garlic in the same pan and then add the tin tomatoes. Heat it up and then add the eggplant and cherry tomatoes back in. Allow to simmer and reduce some  of the liquid.
• Add silver beet and allow to wilt. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove from heat and stir in ricotta.
• Layer 2 filo sheets with a little oil in between, add another 2 sheets offset so it makes a square. Put about half of the mixture in the centre and then gather up filo and twist so it looks similar to a money bag. Repeat with the remaining filo and mixture. 
• Put filo parcels on an oiled oven tray. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian herbs. 
• Bake for about 30mins or until the pastry is golden.

Just out of the oven

Inside the yummy parcel