Halloumi, Spinach and Ricotta Pan-fried Spring Rolls
A rich and crispy version of those delicious Lebanese cheese and spinach pies!
One of the best things about living in Melbourne’s Northern suburbs is easy access to some of Melbourne’s best Lebanese restaurants and bakeries. I love love love Lebanese food. So did my mum. She was a great all round cook but I think her skills particularly shone when she made Lebanese style food as she was not afraid to use lots of lemon and garlic. Her tabbouleh was the best – though I think it’s a requirement to think your mum’s version of something is the best isn’t it? Well at least that’s what you should tell your mum! I also inherited her love of garlic and lemon and if you have tried any of my recipe you may notice how these two flavours regularly make an appearance.
Now I am getting distracted. Clearly this recipe isn’t really Lebanese so why am talking about Lebanese food? These spring rolls are my version of those delicious cheese and spinach pies popular in Lebanese bakeries. The only problem I have with them is that the filling to dough ratio is off for me- there is too much dough. This is a common problem I find with all sorts of food; tarts pastry is too thick, pizza has too much crust, sandwiches too much bread. To me the filling is the best part! So this recipes is the result of me trying to make those yummy cheese pies more appealing to me by making them all about the filling! The pastry wrapping is just there to hold it all together and the result is a ratio of about 75% filling to 25% dough – the perfect combination in my book!
These ‘spring rolls’ are obviously fairly rich so are perfect as a snack. I also like serving them for lunch alongside a refreshing Middle Eastern style grain and herb salad and some garlic yoghurt. This helps balance out the richness from the cheese and the different texture combination is perfect. We served these spring rolls at the last Commonground festival and there were a hit! Though after rolling the 300th one we did get a little weary of them. But that was two years ago now and I am ready to get excited about this recipe again!
These are super simple and easy to make. I pan fry them instead of deep-frying them as you would a normal spring roll as I found there were more likely to burst if deep fired. But feel free to experiment deep-frying if you are feeling game! I like to use pre-made Chinese style mini pancakes but spring roll pastry works just as well. Another tip; if you have any left over wrappers, fill them with chopped banana, ricotta and Nutella and they make an amazing dessert!
Halloumi, Spinach and Ricotta Pan-fried Spring Rolls
Prep time: Approximately 45 minutes
Makes: Approximately 14 rolls
Dietary guide: This recipe is NOT gluten free, FODMAP friendly or vegan. Please see the end of the recipe for a gluten free or FODMAP friendly version. For a vegan ‘version’ I will be sharing my tofu rice paper roll recipe soon!
Ingredients
300g of halloumi
300g of fresh ricotta
200g of baby spinach (4 well packed cups)
2 tablespoon of chopped chives
½ teaspoon of lemon rind
¼ teaspoon of grated nutmeg
15 pre-made small pancakes (like used for Peking duck) or small spring rolls wrappers
¼ cup of olive oil or another vegetable oil
Fresh lemon wedges or sweet chilli sauce to serve
Makes about 14-15
Method
1. Wilt the baby spinach either by steaming it or sautéing in a pan with a little oil. Set aside and once it’s cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as you can and roughly chop.
2. Break the halloumi into chunks and whizz in a food processor until it becomes a fine crumb. Alternatively, you can grate the halloumi.
3. Mix the chopped spinach, ricotta, grated halloumi, lemon zest, chives and nutmeg in a bowl.
4. Place about 40g/1 ½ tablespoon of the mix in a log shape (horizontal) towards the front of the pancake – refer to the below images.
5. Fold the front of the pancake over the top of the filling and roll away from you one turn. Then fold both sides of the pancake in over the log of filling, rolling a little as you go to tuck in the ends and keep them from unrolling. Dab a little water on the last unrolled section of the pancake – this helps it stick. Finally roll it up and use you hands to make sure the end has stuck. Repeat until you have used all the mix. Place the rolls on a tray and cover with a damp tea towel, or if you are not frying them straight away, place in airtight container.
6. To fry the rolls, place a good tablespoon of the olive oil in a large fry pan over a medium heat. When it has come to temperature, place half the rolls in the fry pan. I suggest doing this in two batches so you don’t crowd the pan and end up with soggy spring rolls!
7. Turn the rolls over when the pan side down has gone golden and crispy and fry the other side. You may find the odd roll splits a little when cooking and some filling comes out, but don’t worry this doesn’t effect the taste. When both sides are cooked, transfer to some paper towel.
8. Once all the rolls are cooked serve them straight away with some sweet chilli dipping sauce or garlic yoghurt.
Gluten free and FODMAP friendly version: I suggest either using the filling to stuff a vegetable such as zucchini or mushroom (pre-cooked) and cooking them in the oven. Alternatively, you could use a thin pliable gluten free flatbread or gluten free crepes instead of the pre-made pancakes or spring roll wrappers.
