Any tips for spinach filo pastry parcels?

[QuimReaper]

I have a bit of a mad hosting weekend coming up and decided to take the heat off a bit with some nibbles I could make ahead, so have been experimenting with filo parcels filled with spinach and feta.

I tried them three ways: baked fresh, refrigerated for a couple of days, and done from frozen.

I was a bit disappointed that the frozen ones completely lost their bottoms and the fridge ones were really difficult to manage and leaked a bit. Only the fresh ones worked perfectly which defeats the point somewhat!

The internet is full of people saying they cook brilliantly from frozen. Was I supposed to cook them and then chill / refreeze, to be reheated, rather than freezing / chilling them raw?

Thanks!

Did you use fresh filo? And was it fresh or frozen spinach? And did the recipe have egg in?

You need to really really really drain the spinach after it’s cooked

Thanks both! It was fresh filo and fresh spinach. No egg, and I wilted the spinach in a pan rather than in water to try and keep it a bit drier, I squeezed it out but probably not well enough. I was hoping putting the parcels in the freezer would prevent any moisture from the spinach sogging up the filo but I guess it had enough opportunity to sog before it froze.

Does anyone have any experience of freezing cooked filo? I can't imagine it'd stay crispy. Maybe cooking them, putting them in the fridge and then reheating is the way, but I feel like they'd still have a chance to go soggy.

Maybe if I cook the spinach filling and then leave it to dry out in the fridge for a few hours that'll help too. I just let it cool and then went right ahead before.

I tend to.use frozen spinach, squeezed really well. Make sure plenty of butter between layers and on top. Butter disposal tray well, add rolls ( I tend to do cigars rather than parcels)packed tightly and then freeze. Cook from frozen in same tray.