8 Fresh Ways With Filo Pastry
Photography: ALEXANDRA DUDLEY
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8 Fresh Ways With Filo Pastry

A thin unleavened dough used for making pastries such as baklava and börek in Middle Eastern cuisine, pre-rolled filo pastry is a freezer staple that makes easy puddings and speedy meals a breeze. From a simple white chocolate tart to blackberry and brie bites, here eight chefs share their favourite ways to use it…
Photography: ALEXANDRA DUDLEY

Mushroom, Feta & Tomato Tart

Madeleine Shaw

Serves
Serves 6
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
40 Minutes
Ingredients
1 filo pastry slice
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
150g of Marks & Spencer’s Vitamin D Enriched Super Chestnut Mushrooms, sliced
1 red onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
100g of feta
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Step 2

Heat a pan with the olive oil and garlic and fry for a few minutes then add the onion and mushroom, thyme and salt. Fry for 10 minutes until golden.

Step 3

Roll out the filo pastry onto a lined baking tray. Score the border of the pastry. Add the onion, mushrooms, feta and tomato, season with salt and pepper.

Step 4

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Pineapple & Chilli Tart Tatin

Moyra Fraser, Bonne Maman

Serves
Serves 6
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
45 Minutes
Ingredients
1 small fresh pineapple
125g of Bonne Maman Mandarin Marmalade
125g of caster sugar
½ small red chilli, deseeded and finely shredded
2 limes
75g of butter
6 sheets of filo pastry
Vanilla ice-cream, to serve
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200ºC (fan oven 180°C). Peel the pineapple and cut into 6 rings about 1.25cm thick.

Step 2

Heat a non-stick frying pan and add the marmalade, caster sugar, chilli, grated zest of 1 lime, 50g of butter and 4 tbsp of water. Stir over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes until the sugar and marmalade have dissolved.

Step 3

Add the pineapple slices to the pan and simmer gently for 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally, until the pineapple is tender. Increase the heat and bubble until the liquid turns a golden brown and the pineapple has started to caramelize at the edges. Add the lime juice and remove from the heat.

Step 4

Cut out six 15cm squares of foil. Place flat on 1 or 2 baking sheets and mark a 10cm circle on each one.

Step 5

Put a pineapple slice and about 4 tsp of the cooking syrup in the centre of each piece of foil and bring up the edges to form sides around the pineapple. Keep the remaining syrup warm.

Step 6

Place six sheets of filo pastry one on top of the other on the work surface and cut out 6 x 10cm rounds from the pile (36 rounds in total).

Step 7

Melt the remaining butter and layer six rounds of filo pastry on top of each piece of pineapple, brushing very lightly with butter between each layer.

Step 8

Bake in the hot oven for about 10 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a minute. Lift each piece of foil up and flip over onto a serving plate. Peel off the foil and top each tart with a scoop of vanilla ice-scream. Spoon over a little extra syrup and serve immediately.

Blackberry, Brie & Thyme Filo Miniature Tarts

Alexandra Dudley

Serves
Makes 24 canapes
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
30 Minutes
Ingredients
4 sheets of filo pastry
50g of melted unsalted butter
200g of brie
150g Victoria blackberries
Bunch of thyme, leaves removed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C on the fan setting.

Step 2

Keeping your pastry covered under a damp tea towel (to keep it from drying out). Remove one sheet and brush it with the melted butter. Using scissors cut this into roughly 5cm squares.

Step 3

Arrange three squares and place them on top of each other turning them as you go so that you create almost a star effect. Place the pastry stack into the hole of the mini muffin tin and push to create a tartlet shell.

Step 4

Repeat until you have filled all 24 holes.

Step 5

Chop the brie into roughly 24 equal sized pieces and push into each pastry case.

Step 6

Halve the blackberries and place one half on each tartlet.

Step 7

Sprinkle a pinch of thyme onto each tartlet and season with salt.

Step 8

Bake for 10 minutes or until the pastry looks golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Step 9

Sprinkle over some more fresh thyme and grind over a generous amount of black pepper.

Step 10

Serve right away.

White Chocolate Filo Tart

Ligia Lugo, The Daring Kitchen

Serves
Serves 6
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
30 Minutes
Ingredients
6 sheets of filo pastry
50g of unsalted butter, melted
400g of white chocolate, chopped
280g of thick Greek-style yogurt
250g of nuts, in honey
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Step 2

Grease a 23cm loose-bottomed tart pan.

Step 3

Cut each filo sheet into a 28cm square, brush with butter and layer in the pan.

Step 4

Line with baking paper and fill with rice or pastry weights, then bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Let cool.

Step 5

Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, without the bowl actually touching the water. Stir until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Step 6

Place the chocolate and yogurt in a bowl and stir until they are well combined. Pour into the cooled tart shell. Chill for 1 hour or until set.

Step 7

Drizzle with the nuts in honey and serve.

Blackberry, Brie & Thyme Filo Miniature Tarts, Alexandra Dudley
Blackberry, Brie & Thyme Filo Miniature Tarts, Alexandra Dudley
Walnut, Spinach & Feta Baklava, California Walnuts
Walnut, Spinach & Feta Baklava, California Walnuts
Pineapple & Chilli Tart Tatin, Moyra Fraser, Bonne Maman
Pineapple & Chilli Tart Tatin, Moyra Fraser, Bonne Maman

Walnut, Spinach & Feta Baklava

California Walnuts

Serves
Serves 6
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
50 Minutes
Ingredients
160g of spring onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp of olive oil
900g of washed spinach leaves, wilted and chopped
5 banana shallots, finely sliced
Pinch of salt
1 tsp of caster sugar
150g of California walnuts, toasted
20g of fresh dill, finely chopped
1 tsp of dried mint
½ tsp of grated nutmeg
2 eggs, whisked
Ground black pepper
60g of melted butter
9 sheets of filo pastry
300g of feta cheese, crumbled
1 tbsp of honey
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Sauté the spring onion in a teaspoon of oil until soft. Add the spinach and sauté for a further minute, then leave aside to cool in a large bowl.

Step 2

Place the shallots into a medium-sized frying pan with the remaining olive oil, salt, and sugar and sauté over a gentle heat until slightly caramelised.

Step 3

Place the toasted walnuts into a food processor and blitz until coarsely chopped.

Step 4

Next, add the chopped dill, dried mint, nutmeg and eggs to the large bowl with the spinach, season with ground black pepper and stir to combine.

Step 5

Brush a 20cm x 30cm baking tray with butter and line with three layers of filo, brushing with butter in between each of the layers. Spread over half the caramelised shallots, followed by half the spinach mixture, half the feta and a third of the walnuts.

Step 6

Repeat the layers using the remaining fillings, reserving a third of the walnuts.

Step 7

Finish with a final three layers of buttered filo, trimming the final layer to fit the dish. Brush the top with butter and score, sprinkling with a little water.

Step 8

Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Sprinkle with the remaining walnuts and drizzle with honey to serve.

Visit Walnuts.org

Vegan Spinach & Walnut 'Ricotta' Pie

Maryanne Hall, Viva’s Vegan Recipe Club

Serves
Serves 6
Difficulty
Intermediate
Total Time
1 Hour 30 Minutes Plus overnight
Ingredients
5-6 sheets of filo pastry (make sure to buy vegan filo)
250g of young spinach (you can also use frozen)
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ tsp of grated nutmeg
For the walnut ‘ricotta’:
250g of cashew nuts, soaked
150g of walnuts, soaked
175-200ml of water
1 capsule of strong probiotic bacteria (optional)
2 tbsp of nutritional yeast
½ tbsp of lemon juice
½ tsp of salt, or more to taste
Good pinch of black pepper
Method
Step 1

To make the ricotta, soak the cashews and walnuts for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.

Step 2

Thoroughly rinse the cashew nuts and blend with the 175ml of water until completely smooth and creamy. Add more water if necessary but only bit by bit as you want the mixture to be as thick as possible (while still remaining smooth).

Step 3

Add the probiotic capsule and blend again. Cover the cashew mix with cling film and leave to ferment (at room temperature for minimum 4 hours).

Step 4

Thoroughly rinse the walnuts and then finely chop them into small pieces.

Step 5

In a large bowl, add the walnut pieces to the cashew mix, then add the remaining ingredients.

Step 6

Stir everything together and taste to see if it needs more salt, lemon juice or nutritional yeast.

Step 7

In a large frying pan, fry the onion until soft and golden then add the garlic and fry for another two minutes.

Step 8

Add the spinach and cook until thoroughly wilted. Remove everything from the pan and squeeze out the excess water using a sieve. Leave to cool before stirring into the 'ricotta' mix and then stir in the nutmeg.

Step 9

Using a 20cm loose-bottom cake tin, grease the bottom of the tin using a layer of olive oil. Lightly brush 4-5 sheets of filo pastry with olive oil.

Step 10

Place one sheet of filo pastry onto the bottom of the tin and allow the excess pastry to fall over the top. Layer another sheet at 90º and continue in this way until you've layered about 4-5 sheets.

Step 11

Spoon the mixture into the pastry sheets and then fold the corners of the pastry into the middle. If you have any gaps in the pastry, scrunch up a sheet of filo and place it into the gap.

Step 12

Lightly brush or spray the top of the pastry with olive oil and place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until lightly golden.

Tomato & Caper Galette

Nicky Elliott, The Conscientious Cook

Serves
Serves 2
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
40 Minutes
Ingredients
300g of heritage tomatoes
2 tbsp of capers
1 tbsp of dried oregano
2 tbsp of olive oil
5 sheets of filo pastry, layered on top of each other and spread with olive oil
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Step 2

Cut the tomatoes in half and mix with the capers, oregano, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Step 3

Prepare a baking tray with a large sheet of baking paper, then lay the pastry on the tray.

Step 4

Place the filling into the middle of the pastry and fold over to make a circular pie.

Step 5

Brush with olive oil and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Step 6

When the galette is cooked, place on a flat platter, sprinkle with fresh oregano and drizzle with the remaining olive oil mixture.

Step 7

Serve with a simple green salad.

Charred Courgette & Pesto Tart

Katy Beskow, 15 Minute Vegan

Serves
Serves 4
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
15 Minutes
Ingredients
1 sheet of filo pastry
2 tsp of unsweetened soya milk
1 tbsp of sunflower oil
2 medium courgettes, sliced into rounds and ribbons
1 clove of garlic, peeled
Generous handful of basil leaves (reserve a few leaves for garnish)
1 tbsp of flaked almonds
Juice of ¼ unwaxed lemon
Generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Generous pinch of sea salt flakes and black pepper
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas mark 7.

Step 2

Place the pastry on a baking tray and fold over each of the four sides to create a 1cm border crust, then brush the border with the soya milk. Use a fork to lightly prick the inner section of the pastry.

Step 3

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges have risen and become golden.

Step 4

While the pastry base is cooking, prepare the filling.

Step 5

Brush a griddle pan with the sunflower oil and place over a medium-high heat. Use tongs to lay the courgette rounds and ribbons onto the hot pan and cook for 5 minutes, then carefully turn and cook for a further three minutes.

Step 6

To make the pesto, add the garlic, basil, and flaked almonds to a food processor or blender and blitz until semi-smooth.

Step 7

Pour in the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil and blitz again to combine. Season with sea salt flakes. Alternatively, make the pesto by very finely chopping the garlic, basil, and flaked almonds before stirring in the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, then the seasoning.

Step 8

Remove the pastry from the oven, then generously spread the inner section with some pesto. Arrange the courgettes neatly over the pesto, then brush the courgettes with a little more pesto. Scatter with a few basil leaves and season with black pepper.

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