Macedonian Pie of Greens and Cheese

Spanakopita gone very green! I love all the herbs and greens used in this dish. Spinach is high in vitamin K (bone health), vitamin A, managnese, folate, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B2 and the list goes on. Chicory is also the common name in the US and in France for curly endive. Radicchio or Belgian endive also goes by the name of chicory leaf. Phyllo is paper thin sheets of dough made out of flour, water and a bit of oil. There are many recipes for both savory and sweet using this light and flaky pastry.

Serves 6

recipe from Australian Vogue Entertaining & Travel magazine

inspired by Paula Wolfert’s book: The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean

1 bunch each chicory, rocket, mint and dill

6 green onions, trimmed

200g baby spinach

4 eggs

50g dried breadcrumbs

250g Greek feta, crumbled

150g ricotta

150g haloumi, diced

10 sheets phyllo pastry

olive oil, to brush

Trim chicory and rocket stalks. Strip leaves from mint and finely chop with dill and green onions. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add chicory and blanch for 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl filled with ice water. Repeat with rocket and spinach, blanching 1 minute. Drain well. Wring greens tightly, a handful at a time, to remove excess water. Finely chop the greens and combine with herbs, eggs, 30g breadcrumbs, feta, ricotta and three quarters of the haloumi. Season.

Preheat oven to 180c. Oil a 25cm, 5.5cm pie tin. Brush a sheet of phyllo lightly with oil and place in tin (sheet will extend beyond edge). Brush with remaining phyllo sheets and arrange them like wheel spokes. Scatter remaining breadcrumbs over base, top with filling, then loosely fold pastry over. Brush top with oil, sprinkle with water and scatter with remaining haloumi. Bake for 45 minutes, cover and bake for a further 15 minutes or until heated through.



The Culinary Chase’s Note: The flavors of all the greens help play a part in making this a delicious meal. The dill, ever so subtle, defines it with the help of the salty cheeses. Beautiful!