Kale, Feta & Red Pepper Filo Pie

We usually associate the word ‘pie’ with a heap of stodge and a lazy feeling to follow…

I’ve never been a huge fan of pies, probably because of scoffing a dodgy one from a petrol station once. This delightful version from Cook Happy, Cook Healthy is much less heavy on the gut than your typical pie, and is full of flavour. Filo is a very light pastry so the main event really is the filling, stuffed with vitamins and protein from the veg and feta.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

• 200g kale, rinsed and dried, tough stems removed and leaves chopped into small pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra
• for brushing
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 350g feta, crumbled
• Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 3 tbsp pine nuts
• 150g roasted red peppers from a jar, drained and cut into
• thin strips
• 8 large sheets filo pastry
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• Sea salt and freshly ground
• black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/Gas mark 5.
2. Put the kale leaves in a large bowl with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Using your hands, massage the oil and vinegar into the leaves until they are all evenly coated and slightly softened. Add the remaining ingredients (apart from the filo and mustard), plus a generous pinch or two of pepper and a small pinch of salt, taking care not to add too much as the feta is already salty. Mix everything together until thoroughly combined.
3. Working quickly, brush 7 of the filo pastry sheets with olive oil and use them to line a 24 x 18cm ovenproof dish, laying them in alternating directions so that by the time you’ve laid all the sheets, you have an overhang of filo pastry the entire way round the dish. Keep the remaining filo sheet covered with a damp tea towel to prevent it drying out.
4. Spread the mustard on the base of the filo shell, then add the kale mixture, pressing it gently into the dish. Cut the remaining filo sheet in half, brush the two halves with oil then lay them on top of the pie, crumpling the sheets slightly for texture. Fold up the overhanging sheets of filo, scrunching them around the pie to create a border.
5. Bake in the oven for 30–35 minutes, or until the filling has set and the filo is a deep golden colour and crisp to the touch. If it is browning too quickly towards the end of cooking, cover the pie loosely with foil.
6. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes, then serve in wedges with a light green salad.