Recipe + pairing | Angela Clutton's Filo tart of mixed greens and feta

Seasoning by Angela Sutton (available now) features 75 delicious recipes matched to the rhythm of the seasons, celebrating the best produce available and featuring tips on how to avoid wastage, year round.

This recipe for filo tart really allows winter greens to shine, and we got hunting in search of a pairing that would elevate the billing even further. All that’s left to do is wrap up warm, set a plate, and pour a glass.

Pairing tip: “For pairing greens and sharp, salty cheese, I’m instantly reaching for a sauvignon blanc. No point messing with a classic. You’re going to get that bright contrast of fruit, but with those grassy, herbaceous notes that get amongst it - ideally supported by a clean, mineral driven finish too. Otherwise albarino, chenin blanc or unoaked chardy are great choices too.“ - Nick

Try this with:

Torrent Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2023

A former New Zealand Winemaker of the Year is behind this drop, one that brings all the best of the grape with a touch more seriousness (don't worry, it isn't that serious) on the palate. There's gooseberry, tropical fruit and plenty of lime to taste, but that's all buttressed by some vibrant clean acid and herbaceousness. If you want a further nudge, just place your trust in the judges at the New Zealand International Wine Show - this took home a double gold medal to go along with a whopping 96 point score.

Sauvignon Blanc 2023 - Black Market Deal #47982

With a 4.3 on Vivino you know this is a crowd pleaser! This winery was Marlborough’s first vineyard and winery, established back in 1873. A masterclass in SB from one of the best producers in New Zealand. This is typical of the style that has taken the world by storm. Passionfruit laden, bright zippy kiwi acid and pithy citrus, wrapped in a distinct grapey-ness (which seems obvious but... worth mentioning). One for the sauv blanc diehards to dine out on.

Filo tart of mixed greens and feta 

Winter’s fabulously bitter leafy greens (of which chard is here the star, ably supported by cavolo nero) have their edge smoothed out by baking them with cheese. The ratio of nutritious to comforting is just right. You could happily switch round the proportions of the greens here. Or swap in whatever leaves you have hanging around – spinach, kale, beetroot tops, turnip tops, collard greens – they’d all be just as lovely, just as green.

Serves 6 as a main 

• 400g (14oz) chard 

• 200g (7oz) cavolo nero 

• 1 medium onion 

• 4 tbsp olive oil 

• 1/2 orange 

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon 

• 3 eggs 

• 200g (7oz) feta

• 40g (1 ½ oz) leafy herbs (any mix of dill, mint, coriander [cilantro], parsley) 

• 1 tbsp honey 

• nutmeg, for grating 

• 1 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour 

• 4 sheets of filo pastry 

• salt and black pepper

• 23cm (9in) springform cake tin

Separate the stalks and the leaves of the chard and cavolo nero. Trim and finely chop all the stalks. Wash all the leaves, drain and shred. 

Peel and chop the onion. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a deep frying pan. Gently cook the onion until just about softening, then add the chopped stalks. Season, squeeze in the juice of the orange half, stir round and cook for 10 minutes until soft. Add the cinnamon, then the shredded leaves. Cook for 5 minutes to wilt, then take off the heat. Let it cool a little before spooning into a fine sieve set over a sink or bowl to drain away any excess liquid. 

Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Crumble in the cheese. Chop the herbs and add too, keeping just a few back for garnish. Mix well, adding the honey and a good grating of nutmeg. Add the drained chard mix and combine thoroughly. Taste before seasoning. Up to here can be done ahead of time. 

Preheat the oven to 190°C fan/400°F/gas 6. Brush the cake tin with some of the remaining oil and dust with the flour. Lay one sheet of filo in the base, overhanging the sides. Brush it with oil, then lay another sheet of filo on top, going crossways to cover the other sides of the tin. Oil and repeat with 2 more sheets. Fill with the cheesy greens filling. Bring up the overhanging pastry and scrunch to form an edge to the pie (not a lid). Bake for 25 minutes until the pastry edges are golden. 

Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove and serve warm or at room temperature with the reserved chopped herbs scattered over.

Waste Tips 

Citrus (bergamot; lemon; lime; orange): Once you have zested away the fruit’s protective outer layer it will start to dry out. Juice it soon, and if you have no immediate use for the juice you can freeze it. Ice-cube trays are good for these relatively small amounts. Freeze slices of citrus fruits to use in drinks. The section on oranges has ideas that can be applied to the other citruses on what you could do with leftover pieces of fruit/peel.

Feta cheese: Don’t throw away the brine from feta. It is salty and creamy with a lactic edge that makes it a lovely addition to salad dressings, as a marinade for meat, or added into the water when boiling rice.

Filo pastry sheets: These freeze (or even re-freeze) well, but if I am left with just a few I often make Sweet Filo Crisps: Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/425°F/gas 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Lay on it a piece of filo, brush with melted butter, sift over icing (confectioners’) sugar and perhaps a little ground cinnamon, and repeat with two more layers. Give the top layer of pastry a thicker dusting of icing sugar, cut into strips/squares and tease them slightly apart, then bake for 10–15 minutes until golden and crisp. Serve warm, or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Vegetables

For Stocks 

- Keep in the freezer a bag or container into which you can easily put the (washed if necessary) peelings and trimmings of vegetables or herbs to use as the basis of making stocks. As the seasons roll round what you add to the freezer bag will change, giving the stocks a natural seasonality of flavour. 

- Put the trimmings straight from the freezer into a large pan, cover with an equal volume of water, add salt and whatever fresh herbs might be around. (Add poultry bones for a meat stock.) Simmer for about an hour, strain, and that’s your stock ready to use/freeze. 

Good things to use: Asparagus ends; broad (fava) bean pods; carrot peelings; cavolo nero ribs; celeriac peelings; celery trimmings; cucumber peel, seeds and core; fennel trimmings; garden pea pods; soft herb leaves and stems (e.g. basil, coriander (cilantro), mint, oregano, parsley); leek trimmings; onion skins; parsnip peelings; pumpkin and other squash fibres/skin (not flesh); shallot skins; spring onion (scallion) trimmings; sweet pepper (capsicum) trimmings; tomato skins, seeds and vines; woody herb leaves and stems (e.g. rosemary, thyme).

Beyond stocks  

Soft herbs: The leaves and/or stalks of soft herbs can be blitzed into herb-infused oils. Blanch herb sprigs for barely 10 seconds in very hot water, then run under cold water and delicately dry in a cloth. Put the herbs – stalk and all – into a blender with the oil. Two or three bushy sprigs per 150ml (5fl oz) oil. Blitz, then strain through a fine sieve/ muslin (cheesecloth). Pour into a sterilised bottle and store out of direct sunlight. I like to put a fresh (blanched) sprig of the chosen herb in the bottle. For prettiness as much as to remind me what it is. (I seldom remember to label them, but I know that I should and so should you.)

Images and text from Seasoning by Angela Clutton, photography by Patricia Niven. Murdoch Books RRP $55.00 - available via Booktopia.