Shades of Green Winter Pie
Possibly have a tagline for each recipe here?
Ingredients
• 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 large leek, finely sliced in rounds 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic
• 1 kilo of mixed garden greens. This makes about 4 cups cooked. Kale, spinach, parsley, chard, beetroot leaves, rocket, mustard greens, edible weeds, lonely celery stick (whatever you have access to or want to use up)
• 2 large green tomatoes cut into 6-8 thick round slices
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• Salt and black pepper
• 60g marinated sheep's feta
• 100g grated regular pecorino/parmesan
• Zest and juice of 1 small lemon Spray oil or 100g grams salted butter melted for brushing filo sheets
• 8 sheets fresh filo pastry
Notes:
You can buy fresh filo in boxed packets in the dairy section of your supermarket.
Equipment needed
• Medium (25-30cm) cast iron or enamel pan or skillet. Oven safe handle is a must!
• Large frypan
• Salad spinner
Method
Remove long stems from silverbeet or rainbow chard and wash all your greens thoroughly to get rid of dirt, grit and the odd bug. Spin a few times to remove water as possible. Rinse and dry harder stems. Finely slice both.
In a bowl, beat eggs and combine with lemon zest & juice, pecorino, nutmeg and a couple of generous grinds of salt and pepper to taste.
Heat olive oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion and garlic until translucent.
Add one handful at a time of chopped greens and stems to the onions and wilt before adding the next. You may need to add a little more olive oil but resist adding water.
Once you have your greens cooked, use a flat wooden spoon to move the greens towards one side and starting releasing any residual juices. Tilt the pan towards to and allow the juices to pool. Pour as much of this liquid as you can into a small bowl. Removing excess liquid will stop the filo from getting soggy and help it stay crisp during baking. Let greens cool.
Lightly oil your cast iron pan and start layering with filo, using oil spray or brushing with butter between each layer. Lay 2 sheets in a cross, then 2 in a diagonal cross pattern with an overhang on all sides. Repeat with the remaining four filo sheets. Gently press it in to eliminate any large air bubbles between the filo and the pan.
Lay sliced green tomatoes on top of filo. Add roughly a teaspoon of sheep feta on top of each tomato. Drizzle with a little of the feta jar oil marinade.
Add the cooled greens to the egg mixture and combine well. Spoon greens mixture over tomatoes and feta creating an even layer right to the sides.
Fold in filo ends creating a ring of crinkled filo around the uncovered greens mixture in the centre. Final spray of oil or brush of butter around the edges of the filo.
Cook over medium heat on the stovetop for about 5 minutes to crisp the bottom crust. Place in the middle rack of the oven (170 degrees), and bake until filo is golden and the filling is warmed, 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove and let sit 10 minutes to cool and firm up. Garnish with parsley for a little brightness. Serves 6 to 8 wedges.
