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Coiled filo pie with courgette, dill and feta
Serves 4-6 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 7 filo pastry sheets (270g/48x25cm), thawed if frozen
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
For the filling
- 2 medium courgettes (approx.485g), trimmed and grated
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 200g Turkish beyaz peynir or feta, drained and crumbled
- 1 small bunch dill, mostly finely chopped, a few sprigs reserved
- 1 tsp pul biber
To brush
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 medium egg
- 1 tbsp olive oil
To glaze
- 1 medium egg, beaten
- 2 tsp olive oil
Method
To make the filling, put the grated courgettes in a colander, sprinkle a little salt over and set aside for 10 minutes. Using a clean tea towel or strong kitchen paper, squeeze out the excess juice - this is important to prevent excess liquid making the pastry soggy. Put the prepared courgettes in a large bowl.
Heat the olive oil in a wide heavy pan over medium heat, add the onion and sauté for another 4 minutes, then season with salt and pepper and transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in the crumbled cheese, chopped dill and pul biber. Check the seasoning - you may not need additional salt, as the cheese is already salty. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C F/Gas 6. Line a round, 25cm diameter baking dish with baking paper.
Combine the ingredients for brushing in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the beaten egg and olive oil for glazing. Open the filo pastry sheets, gently lay them on a dry, clean surface and cover with a clean, damp tea towel to keep them moist. Lay two filo sheets on top of each other, keeping the rest covered, and brush the top sheet with milk, egg and olive oil mixture.
Put approx. 145g of the filling in a line along the long edge near you, leaving 2cm free at each end - it is important not to overfill to keep the pastry intact. Gently roll up into a cylinder and brush the pastry edge with the milk, egg and olive oil mixture. Starting from one end, gently wind the filo into a coil and place it in the centre of the baking dish. Brush the top and sides of the coiled pastry with the egg, milk and olive oil mixture, which will also help to patch up any broken pastry.
Repeat the same procedure with the next four filo pastry sheets, using two sheets at a time. Coil each filo cylinder around the previous one to make a larger spiral. Make sure to brush the top and sides of the coiled pastry with the egg, milk and olive oil mixture.
Fold the last remaining filo sheet in half and brush with the egg, milk and olive oil mixture. Place the remaining filling in a line along the edge and roll up again into a cylinder. Coil around the previous one to complete the spiral. Brush the top and sides of the coiled pastry with the egg, milk and olive oil mixture and patch up any broken pastry.
Brush the top and visible edges of the pie with the glaze mixture and sprinkle the sesame seeds over. Bake for around 35 minutes until the top is golden brown and cooked through. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then garnish with the dill sprigs and slice into wedges to serve.
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