Asparagus 'cigars' with whipped feta dip recipe
Spring is the season for asparagus, they have a distinct grassy flavour and woody ends which can be snapped off and used for stock. Wrap your spears in brushed filo then sprinkle with sesame seeds to make this marvelously moreish finger food.
See method- Makes 30 'cigars'
- 45 mins to prepare and 15 mins to cook
- 151 calories / serving
Ingredients
- ½ x 250g pack filo pastry (6 sheets)
- 50g salted butter, melted and lightly seasoned
- 2 x 250g bundles of asparagus, woody ends trimmed
- 1 heaped tbsp sesame seeds
For the dip
- 200g 0% fat Greek-style yogurt
- 150g feta, crumbled
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 3 spring onions, very thinly sliced
- drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
Ready to shop?
Shop ingredientsEach serving contains
- Energy
- 630kJ 151.0kcal
- Fat
- 9g
- Saturates
- 6g
- Salt
- 0.5g
- Sugars
- 2g
of the Reference intake
Carbohydrate 9.7gProtein 7.1gFibre 1.4g
Method
- Unroll the pastry. Arrange a sheet with one of the long edges facing you; cover the rest of the pastry sheets to stop them from drying out. Brush the pastry sheet all over with melted butter, then use kitchen scissors to cut across the width into 4 even strips, from top to bottom.
- Place an asparagus spear horizontally across the bottom end of a strip. Roll up to wrap the pastry around the spear a couple of times, then roughly gather the remaining pastry and twist it around the spear to cover the smooth pastry (this will add more crunch). Repeat to use all the pastry and asparagus.
- Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Arrange the wrapped asparagus spears on baking sheets, then brush with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Bake for 10-15 mins until the pastry is dark golden and crisp.
- Meanwhile, make the dip. Whisk the yogurt and 125g feta with a hand or electric whisk until the cheese is almost completely broken up and creamy. Whisk in the lemon juice, lots of black pepper and most of the spring onion.
- Top the dip with the remaining feta, sliced spring onions and some black pepper, adding a drizzle of oil, if you like. Serve with the hot asparagus cigars.
- See more Asparagus recipes
