Tomato and Basil Filo Parcels

This is a super quick recipe that I use when I’ve got tomatoes that are a little on the mushy side.  I have used filo pastry below but you could use puff pastry and make triangular turnover shapes.

Super quick Tomato and Basil Filo Parcel

You’ll need

• 1 pack of filo pastry
• 350g fresh tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• handful of basil leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil plus extra for brushing
• Salt and pepper to taste

To make it

1. Preheat the oven to 200C
2. Line a baking tray with some greaseproof paper and set aside.
3. Crush the garlic til it’s finely minced.
4. Chop the tomatoes into rough 1-2cm cubes.
5. Finely chop the basil leaves.
6. Mix the garlic, tomatoes and basil leaves together, pour over the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to your taste.  Leave to one side while you prep the pastry.
7. Lay out a damp teatowel on to your work surface and then gently place your filo pastry on top.
8. Cut the pastry into four and place some of the tomato filling in the middle of each.
9. Flap each of the sides over the filling in turn so you are left with a square shape.
10. Baste the flaps with olive oil to seal them down and then place the parcels flap side down onto your baking tray.
11. Baste the tops with olive oil and then bake til golden brown – about 15 minutes.  You can flip them over if you want to brown the bottom a bit more.
12. Carefully lift each parcel off the baking tray onto a wire rack to cool slightly before plating up.

You can experiment loads with this. For example, add a few chilli flakes instead of pepper, add some cubes of mozzarella or feta cheese in with the tomatoes, add some grated courgette or fresh peas with the tomatoes. The list is endless! Happy eating

More tomato recipes