Thursday 11 April 2013

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.

15 comments:

  1. I think what got me most was the photo of those gorgeous fresh eggs. We get them pasteurized and the yolks are yellow. Splendid recipe.

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  2. Hi there. Just received your lovely note on my blog, and coincidently, I stumbled upon your post on the delicious milk loaf and was going to comment that you are making me drool. :D I love bread. In fact, you have a lovely blog with so many great recipes that I will definitely have to try them.

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  3. Stunning photos, Jen! This looks to die for - greens, cheese, pastry and all.

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  4. The eggs, the cheese, the everything! This looks really so delicious.. I love to eat my greens like that too.. Have a good dukkah recipe?

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  5. This looks delicious and would be a great dinner party dish - must bookmark now :)

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  6. looks so delicious.. never made this at home, but i buy this stuff once in a while. Love Greek food. I need to try and work with phylo dough.

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  7. Hey Patty. These eggs are from our own chickens. You can't get any fresher than that. They are a real pleasure to cook with and eat.

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  8. Hey B.@cakelets and doilies. Thanks for your lovely comment. Looks like we were both stumbling around and I'm so glad we were.

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  9. Thanks Little Kitchie. There I go with the cheese again.

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  10. Hey Pink Patisserie. If you have to eat greens, they may as well come wrapped in crispy pastry and smothered in cheese. Am I right, or am I right?

    I have two dukkah recipes on the blog:

    Pistachio and Macadamia Dukkah
    Nutty Cumin Dukkah

    I used the Nutty Cumin Dukkah on top of this pie, but either would be delicious.

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  11. @Choclette. Thanks for stopping by. This is perfect for a dinner party... and if there are any leftovers for breakfast I wouldn't say no.

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  12. Hey Honey. Thanks for your lovely comment. I make variations of this pie all the time. Filo pastry is easy to use, as long as you keep it under a damp towel as you work with it. Otherwise it will dry out and start to tear (and then you'll be tearing... your hair out, that is!)

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  13. How not to love?? I really love it, chesse and veggies, healthy as I like :)

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  14. Hey Gabrielle. Exactly, health - that's what it's all about.

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  15. Thanks for the links to the recipes.. They look delish. I'm new to dukkah. It's one of those things where I wonder how I could have lived without it! Amazing stuff..

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