Modern
Good Food Everyday
From
Good Food Everyday
season
1
episode
2
Greek Style Fetta & Greens Pie with Yemeni Sauce
With
Gary Mehigan
Greens, lentil and fetta pie with sharp Yemeni hot sauce on the side.
SERVES
6
About this recipe
Spinach and kale wilted down with onion, garlic and green lentils, then bound with Greek-style fetta, mint and coriander and tucked between sheets of pastry. A Greek-leaning greens pie served with a sharp Yemeni chilli and coriander sauce on the side. Lunch food that does not apologise for being green.
This sits in the broader Greek-Turkish-Lebanese greens-pie family that includes spanakopita, borek and fatayer. The defining structural feature is the high greens-to-pastry ratio: the filling is the dish, the pastry is just there to hold it together. Layers of phyllo brushed with olive oil and butter form the top and bottom; the filling is pressed in dense and packed tight.
Blanching the kale separately from the wilting spinach is the small but important step. Kale needs harder cooking (two minutes in salted boiling water) than spinach (which wilts in seconds). Cooked together, the kale would still be raw while the spinach turned to mush. Blanch the kale, shock in ice water, squeeze hard; wilt the spinach with the aromatics; combine off the heat.
Green lentils added through the filling are the upgrade that turns the pie from a side into a main. The lentils provide the protein and substance that a pure greens pie lacks; cooked tinned lentils work fine and save the prep time. Fetta crumbled through, herbs by the fistful. The Yemeni sauce (zhoug) on the side is the bright, sharp foil to the rich pastry. Cut in wedges, serve warm or at room temperature.
Ingredients
- 280 gm Baby Spinach, raw
- 280g Kale, stalks removed
- 1 cup cooked Green Lentils (tinned)
- 1 Onion, peeled finely chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- Fresh Black Pepper
- 4 tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil
- 1 cup Mint & Coriander Leaves
- Pinch dried Aleppo Chilli
- pepper
- 2 x 200g packs of Riverina Dairy Greek Style Fetta, crumbled
- 2 large Eggs
- 12 Filo sheets
- 1x recipe Yemeni hot sauce - separate recipe -
- Powerblend 9 Jug Blender (JB9042BK)
Method
1. Preheat fan forced oven 200C
2. Bring a large pot of water up to the boil and add a teaspoon of salt.
3. Blanch the Kale for two minutes, remove into ice water. Drain and squeeze out as much water as you can. Repeat the process for the Spinach and set both aside.
4. Meanwhile, heat a small pot over a low heat and add one tablespoon of Olive Oil. Add the onions, garlic, a few twists of pepper and cook, stirring regularly for 3-4 minutes or until the onions have sweetened and softened.
5. Add the cooked lentils and combine. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
6. Roughly chop the Spinach and Kale and place into a large bowl. Add the Riverina Dairy Greek Style Fetta, Eggs, herbs, a few twists of Pepper and Aleppo Chilli and mix well to combine.
7. Brush a large round baking tray with extra virgin olive oil. Place one sheet of Filo on the bench and lightly brush with a little olive oil. Spread some of the Riverina Dairy Greek Style Fetta and Kale mixture loosely across the filo, place another sheet on top and press down lightly.
8. Brush with the Olive Oil and then much like a concertina gather the Filo from the bottom edge towards the top creating folds as you go.
9. Roll up the filled pastry in a scroll or snail shape and place into the centre of the pan. Repeat with the remaining Filo and filling, working your way out to the edge of the baking tray.
10. Brush with Olive Oil, sprinkle with Sesame Seeds and bake until crisp and golden approx. 35 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Cut and serve with the Yemeni hot sauce.
Gary Mehigan
Gary Mehigan spent eleven seasons as a judge on MasterChef Australia before turning his attention to the road. He hosts Around the World on Two Plates and Good Food Everyday, cooking through markets and family kitchens from Spain to Sri Lanka. His own kitchen instinct sits in classical French technique with a forensic eye for produce.
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