Aristology etc.: Cavalo Nero and Herb Filo Pie

This was inspired by a vegetarian filo tart I had whilst at Filmore and Union, a really great café in the centre of York, which is definitely worth a visit. Cavalo nero is an Italian dark green leaf, similar to Kale, it can be easily substituted for other vitamin rich greens, such as spinach or chard. This made a perfect light weekend lunch - I made it for some girlfriends, who gave it their seal of approval!

Ingredients

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

¼ tsp Chilli flakes

½ tsp Turmeric

½ tsp Ground Coriander

¼ tsp Cumin

2 Sweet potatoes

1 large Red (or white) onion

500g cavalo nero (or Swiss Chard / Spinach) stems and leaves thinly sliced but kept separate

1 clove garlic (crushed)

3 spring onions (thinly sliced)

20g (small bunch) flat-leaf parsley, chopped

20g (small bunch) mint, chopped

250g ricotta

100g feta (crumbled)

100g cheddar (grated)

grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

2 eggs

100g toasted pine nuts (these can be substituted for roughly chopped toasted almonds)
50g currants (or raisins)

1 pack filo pastry (usually around 270g)

Preheat oven to 210°C/190°C fan/ gas mark 6

First peel and chop the sweet potatoes into small cubes. Place on a baking tray and toss with a tablespoon or so of olive oil, salt and pepper and the spices until evenly coated. Place in the oven for around 20 minutes, until cooked through.

Note – the turmeric in this is to add colour, it also has anti-carcinogenic properties, but be careful, as it will stain most things on contact.

Next finely chop the onion and soften in a shallow pan in some more olive oil. Once soft, add in the Cavalo Nero/chard stems and the garlic and continue to cook on a low heat for a little longer. Take off the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, add a little oil into a large pan and add in the Cavalo Nero/chard leaves, stirring for about 5 minutes on a medium heat until wilted and softened. It will look like a lot at first, but these greens contain a lot of water and will shrink in volume quite considerably. When cooked, turn off the heat and leave to cool. Once cool enough to handle, place into a sieve and squeeze out as much liquid as you can – in order to ensure the pastry stays crisp underneath.

Mix together the ricotta, cheddar, feta, eggs and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add in the chopped spring onions, parsley, mint, pine nuts and currants and season with salt and pepper. Combine with the greens and sweet potato. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Lay out a sheet of filo pastry, brush with some olive oil and lay in a deep loose-bottomed tart tin or a baking tray. It should be metal though as this will conduct the heat more effectively, making the base and sides crisp. Cover with another sheet of oiled filo until you have around five layers of filo evenly distributed over the tin, like the petals of a daisy, with the excess hanging over the sides. Don't worry if the filo cracks and breaks, this is the nature of the pastry.