David promises a “beautiful flavor but dead, dead simple” Greek-inspired crispy filo tart with spinach, feta, and cheddar, doable in under half an hour but looking like hours of work.
The Rich Filling: Start by toasting 100g of pine nuts in a dry pan on medium-high heat for about a minute until golden.
For the filling:
| Filo Tart Filling Ingredients | Quantity | Notes |
| Eggs | 5 | |
| Feta Cheese | 300 grams | |
| Cheddar Cheese | 50 grams | For “gooey ooze” |
| Pepper | To taste | |
| Salt | A little (go easy) | Feta is already salty |
| Toasted Pine Nuts | 100 grams | |
| Dried Oregano | ~1 teaspoon (scrunch) | Floury oregano if you have it |
| Spinach (fresh) | 2 bags (e.g. 500g total) | Looks like a lot, but wilts down |
| Olive Oil | Couple of tablespoons | For wilting spinach |
| Nutmeg | 10 little rubs | Freshly grated |
| Lemon Zest | Zest of 1 lemon | |
| Butter | A little knob | For spinach |
In a bowl, roughly mix the eggs, feta, cheddar, pepper, a little salt, and the toasted pine nuts. Add the oregano.
In the same pan used for pine nuts (now back on the heat), add olive oil. Wilt down the spinach in batches (it takes about 40 seconds per batch). Season the spinach, add nutmeg, lemon zest, and a knob of butter.
Assembling with Filo:
A clever trick for lining the pan: run greaseproof paper under a tap, scrunch it up, then spread it out. It becomes soft like a handkerchief. Place this in an ovenproof frying pan (Jamie uses the same one for frying and baking). Drizzle with a little olive oil.
Layer about four sheets of filo pastry, ensuring they create an area bigger than the pan to form sides and a lid. Drizzle with a little olive oil and pat down. Jamie adds some sweet cumin and pepper here. Repeat with another 3-4 layers of filo. “The quicker you are, the better.”
Quickly mix the wilted spinach into the egg and cheese mixture. Pour this filling into the pastry-lined pan. Add a little extra cheese on top if desired. Fold the overhanging pastry back over the filling to create a pie. “Even if you’re a raven idiot like me, even if you do it badly and it tears…if it’s wrong, it’s right,” Jamie reassures. Tear off the excess paper around the edges; the remaining paper will protect the pastry during initial cooking.
Cook on high heat on the stovetop for about 2 minutes to crisp the bottom pastry. You can add a bit of rosemary around the tart at this stage. Then, transfer to the oven for about 20 minutes until golden and cooked through. “An epic, epic tart!” Serve by stabbing a knife in and taking it to the table. “The fact that as you cut it, it goes crunch, crunch, crunch, all your guests will be going absolutely mad!”
