Vegetable and fetta filo pies

By Suzanne Gibbs

Serving size: Serves 4
Cuisine type: Modern Australian
Cooking time: Less than 60 minutes
Special options: Heart friendly, Kid friendly, Low Carb, Low cholesterol, Low cost / value, Low fat,Vegetarian
Course: Finger food, Lunch, Main, Snacks

Great for when friends come around for lunch ... or serve with salad or veggies for dinner.

INGREDIENTS

2 small zucchini, diced
300g potatoes, boiled, diced
½ cup chopped parsley
100g fetta, crumbled
1 red capsicum, diced
8 sheets filo pastry
50g butter, melted
rocket, to serve

$2.60 per serve

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Cook zucchini for 4 minutes in a small saucepan of boiling, salted water, until softened. Drain well on paper towel. Combine zucchini with potato, parsley, fetta and capsicum in a medium-sized bowl. Season to taste.

2. Lightly oil four 11cm round pie dishes. Stack four filo sheets, brushing each sheet with melted butter. Halve sheets widthways. Repeat with four remaining sheets and butter. Place each stack in prepared dish, leaving excess pastry to hang over sides. Using scissors, trim pastry so it is 2cm wider than dish.

3. Spoon vegetable filling into pie dishes and cover with overhanging filo to create a top with a hole in its centre. Pinch pastry together and brush tops with butter. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Tips:

a. Filo is available fresh or frozen in most supermarkets. If using frozen filo, thaw slowly in the refrigerator for several hours without unwrapping. Stack sheets to be used on a tray or sheet of plastic wrap, cover with another sheet of wrap then cover again with a damp cloth. At no stage let the damp cloth touch the filo or it will become pasty. It is best not to refreeze filo. Once opened, keep stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
b. If fetta is too salty, try rinsing or soaking in cold water or milk to draw out excess salt. Fetta is very perishable and should be eaten relatively quickly after purchase. Always store fetta in the refrigerator.