Brie and silver beet filo cigars

Pass around a platter of these crunchy cigars at your next cocktail party an watch them disappear.

• 1 bunch (about 1kg) silver beet, white stems removed, washed with water clinging to the leaves
• 20g butter
• 1 leek, pale section only, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 250g brie, at room temperature, coarsely chopped
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 10 sheets filo pastry, halved lengthways
• 100g butter, extra, melted
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds

1. Step 1

   Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Place silver beet in a saucepan. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for 2 minutes or until wilted. Remove from heat. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool. Squeeze out any excess liquid. Finely chop and place in a large bowl.

2. Step 2

   Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat until foaming. Add the leek and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until leek softens. Remove from heat. Add to silver beet and set aside for 5 minutes to cool. Add brie, egg and dill, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Step 3

   Place filo sheets on a clean surface. Cover with a dry tea towel, then a damp tea towel (this will prevent it drying out). Brush 1 filo sheet with melted butter. Spoon 1 tablespoonful of silver-beet mixture along the centre of 1 narrow edge. Fold in the sides and roll up to create a cigar shape. Brush with butter and sprinkle with caraway. Place on tray. Repeat with remaining filo, butter, silver-beet mixture and caraway.

4. Step 4

   Bake in preheated oven, swapping trays halfway through cooking, for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and set aside for 5 minutes to cool. Serve immediately.

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