»Back to Tapas & Mezze
Chard & Kale Pastries
May 2014; I came up with this dish as part of our 31st anniversary celebrations. I wanted to do some dishes we hadn't had for a while, but also come up with something new as well. I wanted to use as many things from the property as I could, so I settled on Dolmas because the grape leaves are incredible at this time of year. I also made the Middle Eastern Lamb, although I didn't have enough green beans so had to add some from the market. Lastly, I did this dish as the new addition. Chard, kale and basil are productive and delicious now, and I had a package of filo in the freezer. It just came together.
Follow package directions for handling the filo dough.
What you need
- 1 package filo (phyllo) dough
- 1 1/2 - 2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 - 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 clove garlic, whole peeled and smashed lightly
- Chard leaves, steamed or sautéed, drained and liquid pressed out
- Kale leaves (Tuscan if possible), steamed or sautéed, drained and liquid pressed out
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves (or any herb)
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled (buy the block in water and crumble it yourself)
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper to taste
- Olive oil
How to make it
- Caramelize the onions (or you can shortcut and sauté them)
- Just before the onions are finished, add the minced garlic
- Over very low heat, steep 1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil with the whole garlic clove and a bit of the basil or other herb
- Preheat oven to 375º
- Finely chop the chard and kale and add the onions/garlic, basil and crumbled feta
- Mix and taste for seasoning with salt & pepper
- Lay out one sheet of filo and brush lightly with the steeped oil
- Cover with a second sheet of filo and brush again with oil
- Repeat for a total of four sheets
- Cut (I use a pizza cutter) in half horizontally, then cut each half again vertically to derive four rectangular pieces
- Place about 2 tablespoons of the chard filling on the narrow end closest to you (see image below), leaving 1/2 inch or so at bottom and sides:
- Fold bottom edge over filling and fold side edges over filling
- Fold over (roll up) until you have a neat rectangular bundle
- Brush top with olive oil and place seam side down onto a baking sheet brushed with a bit of oil
- Repeat until all the filling is used
- Cut a diagonal slit in the center of the top - this allows you to cut the pies in half to serve if desired
- Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown
Questions about this recipe?
Not the recipe you want? Enter an ingredient in the box below: