This has to be one of my favourite quick meals. Puffy, golden pastry parcels, filled with fresh cottage cheese and yoghurt. Fantastic as a quick dinner or a picnic meal. These little rolls are great for parties, as well, because they transport very well, and they are great as canapés.
You need to be careful with the amount of salt, and take into consideration how salty the cheese is. Taste the cheese before you start mixing everything, and salt it to taste, just to be sure you do not overdo it. Serve these parcels with sour cream dipping sauces, spicy sauces, or even salsa!
Ingredients
15 sheets filo pastry
500 grams fresh cottage cheese
3 medium eggs
200 grams plain yoghurt
60 ml vegetable oil
100 grams plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
60 ml sparkling mineral water
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sparkling mineral water
Preparation
Place the cottage cheese in a large bowl, and mix it with an electric mixer on medium, until creamy and smooth. Add in the eggs, and salt, and blend on high until completely incorporated. Add the yoghurt and oil, and blend once again. Once the mixture is creamy, sift in the flour and the baking powder, and blend really well. Finally, pour in the mineral water and mix the batter by hand until smooth. It may seem like it is not going to blend, but keep mixing gently until it comes together. Reserve two tablespoons of the batter, and spread the filo sheets on the work surface.
Spread a portion of the batter on the pastry, roll it up (jelly roll style) starting from the long edge, then coil it around until you get a spiral. You can also fold the rolled up pastry into thirds and make longer pieces. Place the rolled up piece into a large pan, seam side down, and continue until you use up all of the ingredients. Once everything is rolled up and arranged in the pan, take the reserved batter, mix it well with the oil and mineral water, then generously brush each rolled piece of pastry in the pan. Bake them immediately in a preheated oven, at 190˚C (375˚F), for 30-35 minutes, or until puffy and golden. Serve warm. Yields 6 servings.
