Courgette and herb filo pie

Name: Courgette and herb filo pie
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1kg courgettes (about 6), trimmed and grated; Salt and black pepper; 20g dill, roughly chopped; 20g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped; 20g parsley leaves, roughly chopped; 4-6 spring onions, thinly sliced (60g); 2 eggs, beaten; 150g feta, roughly crumbled; 80g mature cheddar, coarsely grated; ½ tsp chilli flakes; 2 tsp lemon zest, finely grated; 40ml olive oil; 175g filo pastry (ie, 7 39cm x 30cm sheets); ½ tsp nigella seeds

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

A delicious many-layered filo pastry case stuffed with courgette, rice, cheese, herbs and egg, then baked.

Add 30 minutes to the prep time to allow the courgettes to drain.

Tags:

Italian Light Meals Pies, Flans & Pizzas Vegetarian

Ingredients

1kg courgettes (about 6), trimmed and grated
Salt and black pepper
20g dill, roughly chopped
20g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
20g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
4-6 spring onions, thinly sliced (60g)
2 eggs, beaten
150g feta, roughly crumbled
80g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
40ml olive oil
175g filo pastry (ie, 7 39cm x 30cm sheets)
½ tsp nigella seeds

Method

Heat the oven to 170C/155C fan. Mix the grated courgettes and two teaspoons of salt in a large bowl, then tip into a sieve and leave to drain for 30 minutes.

Wrap the courgettes in batches in a clean tea towel and wring tightly, to extract as much liquid as possible – you should end up with about 520g courgette flesh. Transfer to a large bowl and add the herbs, onions, eggs, both cheeses, chilli, lemon zest, half a teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of black pepper.

Lightly grease a ceramic or glass deep flan dish with oil. Lay a sheet of filo over the base, allowing the excess to hang over the sides of the dish, and brush with oil. Top with another piece of filo, rotating it slightly so the excess hangs at a different angle, brush with oil, then repeat three more times, until you have used up five sheets in all.

Put the courgette filling in the centre of the pie and even it out with a spoon. Brush another piece of filo with oil, fold it in half horizontally and lay it over the filling, tucking in any excess around the filling. Brush with oil, then repeat with the last sheet of filo, angling it to cover any exposed filling. Fold over the overhanging filo, crinkling it up to leave a crumpled top, brush with more oil and sprinkle with the nigella seeds.

Transfer the dish to an oven tray and bake for 60 minutes. Leave to cool for about 20 minutes before serving.