Mixed vegetables filo tart
I love a bit of spanakopita and any kind of filo tart. I find it is such an easy and impressive option when you have people over . . . I usually keep a packet of filo pastry in the fridge just for such an occasion. I used goat cheese in this recipe, but you can make it vegan by substituting that with some silken tofu.
This is also a great way to use up all sort of different vegetables you have lurking in the fridge. Sometimes, when I run workshops, I end up with bits of shredded vegetables, which I cook down and incorporate in my filling, like in this case.
This is a very straight-forward recipe and you can have your filling prepared well in advance. Then, you just have to create your filo casing.
- ½ a head of purple cabbage, shredded
- ½ packet of Brussel sprouts
- 1 tbsp of cranberries
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 150g of goat cheese
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 packet of filo pastry sheets
- Nigella or seasame seeds (optional)
- Oil to brush
To prepare the filling, sweat the onion and garlic for 10 minutes in oil, before adding your vegetables. You want to get rid of as much moisture as possible to avoid any soggy bottoms on your pie. Season with the paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Add the cranberries and goat’s cheese at the end. Reserve and let it cool to room temperature or cool it in the fridge.
Preheat your oven to 180C.
Remove the pastry from the fridge ten minutes before using. The trick for using filo pastry is to not let it dry, so have your oil prepared in a small bowl and keep your brush at the ready. If you are not used to doing this, remove the pastry from the packet and keep it folded on a moist tea towel.
I prefer my pies round and with a flurry of pastry on top, so I lay down a sheet of pastry with the filling right in the middle, and then gather the pastry sheet up in the middle. As you lay each sheet down, you brush it with oil, to keep it moist. After I assemble it, I like to add nigella or black sesame seeds for decoration.
Bake it for 20 minutes until golden brown.
