Hortopita

WILD GREENS FILO PIE Serves 4-6

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing

2 leeks, washed and sliced

2 brown onions, sliced

450g wild greens (eg. dandelion leaves, amarynth leaves, silverbeet), roughly chopped

75g wild fennel, sliced thinly

25g chopped mint

30g chopped parsley

1/4 cup chopped oregano

300g crumbled feta

FILO DOUGH

500g plain flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbsp white wine vinegar Cornflour, for dusting

To make the filo dough, place the flour in a bowl with the salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the olive oil and vinegar (the vinegar helps with the flakiness of the pastry).

Start mixing, either with a spoon or your hands, adding lukewarm water until it resembles a soft dough (you will need about 1 cup of water, more or less).

Tip the dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly until it is smooth, then place back in the bowl and cover with a tea towel. Allow it to rest for an hour while you make the filling.

To make the filling, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the leeks and onions. Sauté until soft and golden. Remove from the heat and place in a large bowl. Add the wild greens, fennel, mint, parsley and oregano, and mix to combine.

Add the feta and, using your hands, mix all the ingredients. Check for seasoning – it may not need much salt because of the feta.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced). Transfer the filo dough to a surface that has been dusted with cornflour. Divide the dough into 6 balls.

Brush a 36cm round baking tin with olive oil. Take one ball of dough and roll out into a dinner plate-sized round. Brush with some olive oil and set aside.

Roll out another piece of dough to the same size and place on the oiled piece, then brush with oil.

Repeat with another piece of dough. You will have 3 sheets that have been oiled in between. Roll this stack of dough out to the size of your baking tin, making sure it is enough to cover the sides as well. Lay the pastry in the baking tin.

Pour the filling onto the dough and spread evenly. Repeat the rolling procedure with the other 3 balls of dough, but this time roll them out more to make larger sheets, so that when you place them on top they are ruffled and not smooth.

When you place these layers of dough over the filling make sure the edges are neat by pinching them together all the way around. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a little cold water.

Bake for about 1 hour or until it is golden and crisp.

Using your hands, sprinkle a little cold water over the pie as soon as you take it out of the oven; this creates steam, which helps retain the crispness of the filo.

Allow to cool, then cut into pieces. Serve warm or cool.