Fig & Blue Cheese Wontons - Quick & Easy # 5

Trawling through that magazine pile that I told you about last week, looking for a bit of inspiration for a quick and simple Sunday dinner, I came across a recipe in the Spring 2004 edition of Dish magazine for a "Turkish Flatbread Stuffed with Blue Cheese & Figs".

The filling sounded intriguing, and I happened to have everything required on hand, but I didn't feel up for the effort of making a bread.  I was looking for something altogether more instant.  That's when I remembered the wonton wrappers that were leftover from the Creamy Pea & Egg Ravioli I made earlier in the week ... and thought, why not?

I made eight large wontons by sandwiching a spoonful of filling between two wrappers (really more ravioli style), and found that four of these per person made a great light meal with a simple green salad.  These would be equally great as an appetiser, in which case you might put a smaller amount of filling into one wrapper, folded into a triangle like a traditional wonton.  Alternatively, this filling would be fantastic spread on some good crackers, or even in a sandwich.

I also reduced the amount of filling from the original recipe, since I only had to fill a few wontons, not a whole loaf of bread.

The results were sensational - crispy pastry encasing melting blue cheese, with the soft, sweet figs, and the slightly pungent hit of garlic and black pepper.  For something that packed so much great flavour, and yet could not possibly have been quicker or easier to produce, these were a real winner.  I do hope you try them.

Fig & Blue Cheese Wontons

Inspired by a recipe in the

Spring 2004 edition of Dish magazine

Vegetarian

Makes 8-10 large wontons or 16-20 small wontons

wonton wrappers

100g blue vein cheese

100g cream cheese or mascarpone

1 clove garlic, minced

6 dried figs

freshly ground black pepper

grapeseed oil (or other neutral flavoured oil) to fry

toasted sesame seeds to serve

Soak dried figs in a little hot water for about half an hour to soften and "plump up".  Drain and chop finely.

Pour oil into a large pan to a depth of 2-3cm for deep frying, set over high heat, and allow the oil to heat while you prepare the wontons.

In a small bowl, mash blue cheese till soft, then mix in cream cheese, garlic, chopped figs, and a generous grind of black pepper.

Lay half of your wonton sheets out on a board, and place spoonfuls of the fig and cheese mixture in the centre of each sheet, leaving a clear border of about 2cm all around.

Brush the border with a little water, then place another wonton wrapper over the top, as much as possible taking care to push out any "air" around the filling and making sure all the edges are well sealed.

Once the oil is hot, fry the wontons just a couple at a time.  They will only take a few moments, and you will need to turn them over half way through.

As soon as the wontons are golden and crispy on both sides remove to a plate,  lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess grease, and sprinkle immediately with toasted sesame seeds.

I'm submitting this post to Magazine Mondays - mmmm, can't wait to see what else is cooking.