Cheese and Mixed Greens Filo Pie

Look at all this health. Greens, greens as far as the eye can see... well, cheese and greens. Well, pastry, cheese and greens.  But this pie is really all about the greens *bites lip, winks and smiles a crooked smile*.

*NOTE: I used my Nutty Cumin Dukkah for this. I always have it on stand-by. I make a big batch, pop it in a zip-lock bag and stow it in the freezer. I use it straight from the freezer for things like this, or thaw it for 15 minutes and use it as a dip for Turkish bread that's been drenched in extra virgin olive oil.

Cheese and Mixed Greens Filo Pie
adapted from Bill Granger's Feed Me Now!
Serves 6

750g mixed greens, rinsed (I used spinach, Swiss chard and kale)
A handful of basil leaves, chopped
A handful of mint leaves, chopped
2 brown onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
500g ricotta
125g feta, crumbled
80g parmesan, finely grated
1 potato, peeled, cooked and mashed with 20g butter
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
 Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil spray
14 sheets filo pastry
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten to glaze
2 tablespoons of *Dukkah or sesame seeds or nigella seeds for sprinkling


Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Pop the onions into a food processor and blitz them until they are finely chopped. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and sweat the onions for about 10 minutes. You don't want the onions to brown. Remove them to a large bowl. Wipe the frying pan clean.

Put the greens into the frying pan you used for the onions and wilt over medium heat for a few minutes, until they have collapsed. Tip them into a colander and, when cool, squeeze as much moisture out of them as you can. Chop them finely and place into a large bowl with the onions. Add the ricotta, feta, parmesan, eggs, basil, mint, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Lightly oil a 20 x 30cm baking pan with olive oil spray and lay one sheet of filo in the tin. Spray with olive oil spray and layer with another sheet of filo. The filo should hang over the sides of the pan. Continue layering until 8 sheets are layered up. Spread the cheese and greens mixture on top.

Fold the overhanging bits of filo into the middle of the filling. You might have a strip of exposed filling in the centre of the pie. That's okay, we're going to fix that right now. Loosely fold and scrunch the remaining sheets of filo, one at a time, so that they form an open-rose shape... sort of... you know what I mean, right? Place them on top of the pie, covering the top completely. Brush the "roses"with egg and sprinkle with dukkah or your choosen seeds. Give the pie one final spray of olive oil spray and bake for 45 minutes. Let the pie rest for about 10-15 minutes before slicing.