Mushroom & chestnut filo pies

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Cook the rice according to pack instructions. Soak the porcini in enough boiling water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain and chop.

Step 2

Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan, add the shallots and garlic and cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes until softened. Add the exotic and portobello mushrooms and stir over a high heat for several minutes until golden, then stir in the soaked porcini. Add the wine and boil until almost all reduced, stirring often. Chop the chestnuts roughly and add to the mushrooms with the rice, thyme, parsley, sun-dried tomato paste and seasoning.

Step 3

Cut a sheet of filo in half, then fold each half in half again. Brush a large six-hole muffin tin with olive oil (or use small pudding basins). Line with a folded half of filo, brush with oil and arrange the other half across the first one, with the ends hanging over the edges. Fill with the mushroom mixture and fold in the ends, brushing with oil to seal. Repeat with the rest of the filo and filling to make six pies.

Step 4

Roll the final sheet of filo into a long, log shape and cut at 2cm intervals. Unwrap to create thin ribbons. Pile these over the tops of the pies then drizzle with a little oil and scatter over sesame seeds. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and piping hot. Serve hot or cold.

Step 5

To freeze These pies can be frozen raw or cooked. Freeze in the muffin tin or if you want to reuse it, line each hole with a circle of baking parchment to make them easy to take out, then remove once frozen and pack in rigid boxes. To cook from frozen, but raw, follow the cooking times above, reducing the temperature after the first 20 minutes to 180°C gas mark 4 for a further 20 to 25 minutes, (covering with foil for the last 15 minutes if browning too quickly) until cooked through and golden brown. If from frozen but cooked, cover loosely with foil and cook for 40-45 minutes at 180°C, gas mark 4 until piping hot.