filo pastry

The perfect showpiece to your Christmas Day meal - and it's suitable for veggies

Moroccan spiced pie

cumin seeds

tsp paprika,plus extra for dusting

cinnamon

olive oil

squash,peeled and cut into small chunks (about 2cm)

shallots,quartered

4cm/1½ in piece root ginger,finely chopped

whole blanched almonds

pistachios

cranberries

tbsp clear honey

pack fresh spinach

garlic

tsp cumin

lemon juice

coriander

butter

carton Greek yogurt

tbsp milk

mint,leaves

harissa paste

Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Dry fry the seeds briefly in a small pan over a medium heat until toasty – don’t let them burn. Grind coarsely using a pestle and mortar (or a bowl and the end of a rolling pin), then mix in the paprika, cinnamon, 1⁄2 tsp salt and 4 tbsp oil. Tip the squash into a roasting tin, pour over the spiced oil and toss. Roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan, add the shallots and cook, stirring, until they start to brown. Stir in the ginger and 100g/4oz each almonds and pistachios.When brown, toss in the cranberries, 2 tbsp honey, and the spinach so it wilts. Take off the heat and stir into the squash, when it comes out of the oven. Set aside.

In a food processor, whizz the chickpeas with the garlic, cumin, remaining oil, lemon juice, 2 tbsp water and salt and pepper to make houmous. Stir in the coriander.

Melt the butter in a small pan. Put a loose-bottomed 28cm quiche tin on a baking sheet and brush with some butter. Keeping the filo covered with a damp cloth so it doesn’t dry out, lay one sheet over half of the tin so that it hangs over the edge by about 10cm. Lay another sheet on the other side, so it overlaps the first in the centre and hangs over the opposite edge. Brush with butter. Lay two more filo sheets in the opposite direction in the same way and brush with more butter.

Build up two more layers in this way, so you use a total of eight sheets of filo. Pile half the squash mixture in the centre of the pastry. Spread over the houmous and then the rest of the squash mixture.One at a time, bring the edge of each filo sheet up to the centre to cover the filling, creating voluptuous folds as you go. Brush carefully with more butter. (If making a day ahead, cover now with cling film and chill. To reheat, remove the pie from the fridge, heat the oven, then bake for 35-40 minutes.)

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until crisp and golden. Just before the pie is ready, reheat any remaining butter in the pan, tip in the rest of the nuts and fry until golden. Spoon in the 4 remaining tbsps of honey and, when it melts, take off the heat and pour over the pie. Serve with Harissa yogurt sauce (mix the yogurt and milk together to make a thin sauce, stir in the herbs and season. Swirl in harissa to taste) and lemon wedges.

Sweet and spiced, this strudel is a winner. Be sure to melt the butter used to separate the layers of pastry, as this makes for a great flaky crust.

Apple strudel

grams/1lb 10 ounces Bramley apples, peeled, cored, quartered and sliced

½ unwaxed lemon, zest only

100 grams/3½oz golden caster sugar

grams/2½oz raisins

grams/1½oz white breadcrumbs

tbsp icing sugar

Check out our vegetarian recipe for crunchy filo-baked fresh figs stuffed with peppered goat’s cheese. This recipe makes an awesome little nibble or starter that’s really easy to make

Filo-baked fresh figs stuffed with peppered goat’s cheese

figs 6, large

grams,

black peppercorns 2 tsp, ground

butter 50 grams, melted

filo pastry 6, large sheets

chives a few, snipped

Inspired by a Moroccan classic, these flaky filo parcels are filled with aromatic spiced chicken and topped with crunchy pistachio dukkah.

Chicken & feta filo parcels

chicken breast fillets,

red onion,

garlic cloves, crushed

ginger

saffron threads

milliliters (1/3 cup) Massel chicken style liquid stock

baby spinach leaves

butter, melted

feta, crumbled

bought chargrilled capsicum, coarsely chopped

continental parsley

sesame seeds

(1/4 cup) pistachio kernels, chopped

cumin

black pepper

sea salt flakes

A crispy pie that you can adapt for your needs, add chicken or keep it veggie. A good fail-safe for your repertoire

Crispy Greek-style pie

bag spinach leaves

jar sundried tomato

feta cheese, crumbled

eggs

Put the spinach into a large <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/five-best-saucepans">pan</a>. Pour over a couple <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/kimberley-wilsons-top-five-measuring-sets">tbsp</a> water, then cook until just wilted. Tip into a sieve, leave to cool a little, then squeeze out any excess water and roughly chop. Roughly <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-five-paring-knives">chop</a> the tomatoes and put into a <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-five-mixing-bowls">bowl</a> along with the spinach, feta and eggs. Mix well.

Carefully unroll the filo pastry. Cover with some damp sheets of kitchen paper to stop it drying out. Take a sheet of pastry and <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/test-best-pastry-brushes">brush</a> liberally with some of the sundried tomato oil. Drape oil-side down in a 22cm loosebottomed cake tin so that some of the pastry hangs over the side. Brush oil on another piece of pastry and place in the tin, just a little further round. Keep placing the pastry pieces in the tin until you have roughly three layers, then spoon over the filling. Pull the sides into the middle, scrunch up and make sure the filling is covered. Brush with a little more oil.

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Cook the pie for 30 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the cake tin, slice into wedges and serve with salad.

Recipe video above. Spanakopita - the iconic traditional Greek Spinach Pie with layers upon layers of golden buttery flaky filo pastry. For the best Spanakopita of your life, use raw rather than cooked spinach, and layer the phyllo pastry with finely shredded Greek cheese so it sticks together rather than flying everywhere when you cut it!This pie is a perfect thickness with a good ratio of Spinach Feta filling to pastry. It will serve 4 to 5 people as a main dish.

Spanakopita

300 grams/10 ounces English spinach leaves

tsp salt

Greek feta (, crumbled)

Greek yoghurt

green onions / scallions (, finely sliced)

tbsp mint (, finely chopped)

tbsp dill (, finely chopped)

lemon

garlic (, finely chopped)

tsp nutmeg (, freshly grated)

tsp black pepper

cayenne pepper

filo pastry ((Note 2))

120 grams/ 8 tbsp butter (, melted)

/ 2/3 cup Greek Kefalotyri cheese (, finely grated (sub parmesan, Note 3))

tsp white sesame seeds ((or more black))

tsp black sesame seeds ((or more white))

Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F (200°C fan). Line a tray with baking paper / parchment paper.

Sweat spinach: Place spinach in a large colander or bowl. Sprinkle with salt, toss through. Leave for 10 minutes to sweat.

Wring out water: Place a handful of spinach in a tea towel, then wring out tightly to remove excess water.

Filling: Place spinach in a bowl with remaining Filling ingredients. Mix well to combine.

Filling:

Trim filo: Cut 16 sheets of filo pastry into 32 x 25cm / 13 x 10&quot; (pictured) or 26cm / 10.5&quot; square.

8 base layers: Layer 8 sheets of filo pastry on the tray, brushing each layer with melted butter.

Filling: Spread filling on filo pastry. Smooth surface and leave a 2.5cm / 1&quot; border.

8 Filo topping layers (Note 4): Cover spinach with a sheet of filo pastry. Brush with butter, sprinkle with Kefalotyri. Repeat for Sheets #2 to #5. Then cover with filo sheets #6 to #8, brushing with butter in between, but do NOT sprinkle with cheese (neater finish).

Seal: Press edges down to seal. Crimp and trim if desired (see process steps in post or video) or just leave the edges flat on the tray.

Sesame seeds: Brush the top with butter, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake: Bake 25 minutes, or until golden brown on the surface.

Serve! Serve immediately! It is at its absolute prime fresh out of the oven, though still good as long as its hot (~15 min or so). The base does lose crispiness as it cools.

Assembly:

Filo pastry makes a crisp, light base for this summery pie.

Asparagus and ham filo pie with salsa verde

Olive oil cooking spray

milk

lean leg ham, chopped

cherry tomatoes, halved

asparagus, trimmed, halved crossways

baby spinach

peas

ricotta,

basil leaves, chopped

mint leaves, chopped

extra virgin olive oil

garlic clove, crushed

Spinach and feta are a classic combination and work really well with the zing of preserved lemon. Try it in these vegetarian filo parcels which make a great, simple starter, snack or lunch

Spinach, feta and onion parcels

onion 1, finely chopped

garlic 2 cloves, crushed

spinach 1 large bag, stalks trimmed and chopped

feta 75 grams, crumbled

lemon ½,

filo pastry 4 sheets

These individual filo pastry parcels are packed with vegies. Serve with basil pesto and you are sure to have a dinner-winner for the whole family.

Ratatouille & Persian feta filo parcels

green shallots, thinly sliced

zucchini,

red capsicum, deseeded,

eggplant,

garlic clove, finely chopped

tsp plain flour

tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

butter, melted, cooled

Persian feta, crumbled

Basil pesto, to serve

https://resources.newscdn.com.au/cs/video/vjs/stable/build/index.html?id=5348771529001-5770870296001&=domain=taste

5348771529001-5770870296001

Need some weeknight inspiration in a hurry? This quick and creamy fish comes to the rescue for a delicious meal - perfect for everyday eating.

Quick filo fish pie

(250 milliliters) milk

eggs, lightly beaten

tbsp dill, chopped

(140 grams) thick Greek-style yoghurt

tsp smoked paprika (pimenton)

green prawns, peeled, deveined

hot-smoked salmon fillets, flaked

(120 grams) frozen peas, thawed

baby fennel bulb, very finely chopped

unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly

Lemon

Bring the Middle Eastern sweets counter to your home with Michael Rantissi's pecan baklava rolls.

Pecan baklava roll recipe

pecans,

nutmeg

fresh filo pastry

ghee, melted, cooled

caster sugar

glucose syrup

cinnamon quills

Enjoy the homemade taste and old-fashioned goodness of apple and ricotta strudel.

Apple and ricotta strudel

Pink Lady apples, peeled, cored, cut into 2cm pieces

(1/3 cup) caster sugar

(1/3 cup) raisins

(1/4 cup) finely chopped walnuts

ricotta

Pure icing sugar, to dust

Nothing tops a festive feast like a homemade strudel - try this elegant version with apple and cherries.

Apple & cherry strudel

Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

btl morello cherries, drained

(1/2 cup) caster sugar

tbsp kirsch (optional)

butter,

pkt almond meal

Whipped cream, to serve

Enjoy wafer-thin strudel pastry and a rich apple filling in these cinnamon-dusted pastry desserts.

Apple strudels

(1/2 cup) sultanas

egg, lightly whisked

cinnamon,

Vanilla ice-cream, to serve

Finish off your Middle Eastern feast with some decadent, honey coated baklava.

Baklava

x 150 grams pkt walnuts, chopped

(300 grams) caster sugar

(375 milliliters) water

(60 milliliters) honey

https://resources.newscdn.com.au/cs/video/vjs/stable/build/index.html?id=5348771529001-5580111799001&=domain=taste

5348771529001-5580111799001

This pie is picnic perfect — it's easy to make, transport and eat, plus the creamy filling is studded with delicious ingredients.

Top 40 filo pastry recipes from across the web

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The most viewed filo pastry recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine