Winter Filo Tart with Squash, Cavolo Nero, Chestnuts, Walnuts & Goat's Cheese
A filo tart filled with an array of festive leftovers is one of the most delicious and practical things to rustle up over the Christmas period. It is a perfect way to use up any vegetables, nuts, dried fruit, and cheese lying around, and looks impressive despite how easy and quick it is to assemble. Here I've used a colourful combination of winter squash, cavolo nero, chestnuts, walnuts, cranberries and goat's cheese, but you can experiment with much more! My main advice would be to include as much colour, diversity and texture as you can, which comes with a whole host of nutritional benefits.
Servings: 6-8 Time: 2 hours
Ingredients
Filling:
50g walnuts
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and sliced into half-moons
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
handful thyme leaves
250g butternut squash, peeled and chopped into bite-size cubes
80g cavolo nero, torn into bite-size pieces, tough stems discarded
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
200ml vegetable stock
180g cooked chestnuts, halved (eg Merchant Gourmet pouch)
80g goats’ cheese, cut into small chunks (or feta)
50g dried raisins or cranberries (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pastry:
4 sheets pre-rolled filo pastry
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + 1 tbsp thyme leaves, for brushing
salt & pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C fan. Spread out the walnuts on a baking tray and toast for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and saute the onions and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes until starting to soften. Add the thyme leaves and fry for another 2 minutes.
Add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, then followed by the squash and sprouts. Fry for 10 minutes as these start to brown and soften.
Add the kale and apple cider vinegar, stir everything well then pour over the stock and simmer for 5 minutes over high heat until liquid has reduced. Add the chestnuts, toasted chopped walnuts, and cranberries, stir the mixture well until fully combined. Leave to cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the pastry by layering the four filo sheets at different angles on a large lined baking tray, brushing with thyme olive oil thyme between each layer.
Spoon the mixture into the centre of the pastry and flatten slightly, leaving enough room at the corners and edges to form an open parcel. Sprinkle the top with the goat’s cheese and a few remaining thyme leaves.
Fold the pastry edges around the side of the filling leaving a few inches open at the top. Brush the outer pastry with olive oil then bake for 30 minutes until crisp. Serve with any other festive leftovers, such as red cabbage.
