No bake ENERGY CHOCOLATE FRUIT AND NUT BARS. Frankie is anaphylactic for peanuts and so many store bought bars are either full of peanuts and way too many rolled oats. I wanted to try make something simple with our diced fruit and Sticky Quince Syrup.

Inspired by so many recipes this is a remarkably easy filo pie recipe and pretty fun to make. One to make with the kids (well the rolling up of the pastry steps) and a total showstopper when you bring it to the table.

 
Ingredients
1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
1 small leek finely chopped
500g lamb mince
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ras el hanout (I used Gewurzhaus brand)
6 semi sun dried figs (you can use either black or white or a mix), chopped
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
Approx 6 medium sized silverbeet leaves finely chopped (you can use any green leaves here, the silverbeet was what I had in the garden) 
Juice of one lemon
Season with salt and pepper
1 375g packet of filo Pastry ( I used Antoniou but I did have leftovers, which I resealed and put back in the fridge)
¾ cup olive oil
100g feta cheese, crumbled in small pieces
1/2 cup flaked almonds

Method
I'm not great at doing this but remember to take your filo out of the fridge at least 2 hours before you begin, to bring it up to room temperature.

Pre-heat your oven to 180 deg Celsius fan forced. Line a 30-33 cm baking tray with baking paper. I end up using at round frypan as my pan, it worked perfectly.

For the filling
Place the lamb mince in a bowl, break it up and add the chopped onion and leeks. Then add the figs, silver beet, spices, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. I initially transferred this to a lightly oiled hot frying pan to brown the mince meat. I wanted greater caramelisation so I transferred it to a roasting dish and put in the oven for about 10-15 mins to cook through and caramelise the meat and greens. While this was cooking I made a quick hummus to serve with the pie for dinner. I used Greg Malouf's recipe but with a can of chickpeas thoroughly rinsed so I didn't have to soak overnight (was delicious and super easy and made wonder why I buy pre-made hummus). Once the mince is brown let it cool off outside the oven before assembling the pie. 

Assembling the spiral pie
Place one sheet of filo on your counter/bench, with the long edge of the pastry in front of you. Brush with olive oil. Place another sheet of pastry on top and brush with oil.

Spread 4 heaped tablespoons of the filling along the length of the pastry, approximately a couple centimetres from the bottom long edge and one centimetre from the pastry sides. I sprinkled on top the of the filling small crumbles of the feta cheese and flaked almonds.

Roll the pastry tightly to form a log. Roll the log into a coil and transfer to the centre of the baking tray.

Continue to make the logs with the remaining pastry until you run out of filling placing each log around the first centre coil to form a larger spiral. Brush with olive oil.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the pastry is golden. 

Serves 4-6 people with other accompaniments. We had this for dinner with brown rice, Greek yoghurt, homemade hummus, tomato chutney and carrot/cucumber crudites. A very eclectic dinner that the whole family totally loved.

Easter Baking Inspirations - Recommended Recipes

To complement our Easter Baker's Bundles, we've gathered a collection of must-try recipes for making hot cross buns, each bringing a unique twist to this timeless Easter classic:

• Tilly’s fruity Hot Cross Buns: I simply replaced the fruit in this recipe with our spectacular diced fruit mix and candied citrus peel. A beautifully soft fragrant bun. Special. Check it out.
• Flour and Stone - Nadine Ingram's Hot Cross Buns: A masterpiece of flavor and texture. Read More And a recent twist on this recipe here from Gourmet Traveller.
• Delicious Magazine - Helena Moursellas's Fig and Walnut Hot Cross Buns with cinnamon butter. I did add some caramel chocolate and I love the crunch in this recipe. Read More
• Amy Minichiello's Traditional Take with a quince twist: Dive into the nostalgia of Easter with this recipe with a twist of sun dried quince. Explore
• Kath's Hot Cross Loaf: For those who love a loaf with the Easter flavours. Discover
• Emelia Jackson's Hot Cross Buns - Three Ways: Get creative with these variations. Learn How
• The Clever Carrot's Best Sourdough Hot Cross Buns: Elevate your bakes with a sourdough twist. Check It Out
• Breadspot20's Insightful Recipe and History: Not just a recipe, but a journey through the origins of hot cross buns. Dive Deeper

I have followed cookbook author and nutritionist Melanie Lionello for sometime on instagram (@frommylittlekitchen). I love her down to earth passion for food, Italy and her Nonna and most recently her fantastic reviews on Panettone leading into Christmas. I was totally thrilled when Melanie tried some of our sticky quince figs and syrup and even went so far as write a recipe for us. Introducing Melanie's Rosé Panna Cotta with Sticky Quince Syrup and Figs.

Belinda Jeffery is one of those cookbook writers that not only explains her recipe for you, but one who tells you about the ambience of the room, the village traditions and shares her baking wisdom very graciously. I started with her Rhubarb and strawberry crumble then made this creation below my own.

I hope you love it, this is one of Dad's favourites. I have also put together for you our August Bakers Bundle including the Spectacular Diced Fruit and our very new Candied Mixed Citrus Peel...Perfect for making this recipe. Get in quick we only have 25 packs available at a super special price.

The Ultimate Rhubarb Fruit Crumble

Serves 10 generously

Method (you can watch me put this together here)

Preheat your oven to 200C.

In a large bowl coat the rhubarb and apple slices with most of the caster sugar. In a second smaller bowl coat the diced fruit and peel with the remaining castor sugar.

I layered the fruit into my oven dish but you could just scoop the fruit mixture in. Starting with apples I did a layer then rhubarb pieces lined up alongside each other, then sprinkled the dived fruit/candied peel mix. I repeated this process again ending with a final layer of apple slices on top. I then finished with drizzling the sticky quince syrup over the apple layer. I used a round ceramic dish with a diameter at the top of 24 cm and 8 cm high (tampering to a smaller round base). You are aiming for a wide diameter and high sides.

For the crumble, I hand mixed the flour, caster sugar, cinnamon, salt, oats and then scattered the cubed butter over the top. You can blend with your fingers; I just used a stick blender (careful to not lift up the blender why its still blitzing otherwise you will have crumble flying everywhere).  You are looking for a crumble not a paste here.

Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the fruit mixture, then into the oven for 35-40 minutes (As Belinda says 'until it looks crisp and golden, and the juices from the fruit bubble up through it here and there').

I did leave the crumble cool slightly before we served for dessert on Father's day this year. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream or cream.