Stinging Nettle Phyllo Pastry Pie Recipes

NETTLE SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• For the filling, wash the nettles well but don't drain them too thoroughly. Heat the solid butter in a large frying pan. When it's sizzling and has turned a nutty brown, add the nettles and cook for about 6 mins until wilted. Leave to cool.
• Using a tea towel, squeeze as much liquid out of the nettles as you can, then roughly chop and tip into a bowl. Mix in the feta, parmesan, lemon zest and juice, about two-thirds of the egg and some nutmeg, and season generously. The filling should be loose but not sloppy.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. To assemble the spanakopita, lay three sheets of filo end-to-end on your work surface, overlapping by about 5cm. Brush each piece with melted butter and top with three more sheets, then brush with more butter and add the final sheet to the middle for extra support. Spoon the nettle mix along the edge, about 2cm wide, and tuck over the short ends to stop any filling from coming out. Roll the pastry into a long sausage shape. Starting with one end, roll up the sausage into a spiral shape about 20cm wide. Put the spanakopita in a shallow round pan, like an ovenproof frying pan, if it fits. If not, slide it onto a buttered baking tray.
• Brush the pie liberally with the remaining egg and scatter with the sesame seeds. Bake for 40-45 mins or until golden brown. Leave to cool until just warm, then serve in slices with a peppery salad.

FILO PIE WITH NETTLES AND YOGHURT

Steps:

• Pour boiling water over nettles and wilt them for 4 - 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Drain into a colander, drain and leave to cool before squeezing out the excess moisture.
• Chop the nettles, transfer to a bowl, add yogurt, eggs and salt. Mix to combine.
• Place 1 filo sheet on a clean work surface. (To prevent remaining filo drying out, keep covered with a damp tea towel while you work.) Top with another filo sheet so that it covers only the half of the bottom sheet. Top the second sheet with another filo sheet so that it covers only the half of it. Top with two more filo sheets across the middle. Fold the ends of the second and third sheet inches.
• Sprinkle the top sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place 1/3 of the nettle and yogurt filling lengthways across half of the sheet. Roll up the sheets, starting with the side with the filling and working across to the other side. Repeat the whole process until you have three rolls.
• Coil the length of one filo roll into a snail shape, place in the middle of a small round pan (20 cm in diameter) whose bottom is covered with parchment paper. Arrange two remaining rolls in semicircles around the middle coil.
• Mix and combine yogurt and olive oil and brush liberally the rolls with it, especially in between coils (so they will, when baked, keep attached one to another).
• Bake the pie in the oven at 200°C for about 40 minutes until the top is golden-brown in color. After the first 20 minutes cover the pie with the aluminum foil to avoid burning.
• Cut into triangles and serve at room temperature.