'CHEESY' VEGAN SWISS CHARD FILLO PIE
Ok - this one is a little bit indulgent... but its so creamy and delicious that it's totally worth the extra calories! The flakey fillo and creamy, cheesy swiss chard filling make for the perfect piece of (savoury) pie - yum!
How?
9-10 sheets of frozen (vegan-suitable) fillo pastry (I used Borg's frozen fillo pastry sheets)
1 tub of Tofutti's better than cream cheese
1 bunch (5-6 leaves) of swiss chard (silverbeet), shredded
1 medium brown onion, diced
2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of salt
cracked pepper, to taste
Olive oil
Remove the fillo from the freezer and allow to thaw (note: make sure you keep it covered with a damp tea-towel or similar to prevent it drying out).
Preheat your oven to 200℃
Sauté the onion until translucent. Add the swiss chard and sauté until wilted. Remove the chard and onion mix from the pan and set aside in a large mixing bowl to cool slightly (approx. 5 mins).
Add the tofutti cream cheese, nutmeg, nutritional yeast flakes, salt, and pepper to your chard and onion mix. Stir to combine thoroughly. Check for seasoning, adjusting if required, and set aside.
Grease a 20 cm flan or pie dish with olive oil. Line the dish with the 2 of the fillo sheets (side-by-side) with the edges hanging over the pie dish (note: these will be folded back into the centre of the dish to 'close' the pie). Brush the top of the sheets with olive oil and layer 2 more fillo sheets in the opposite direction across the pie dish to make a cross shape. Brush the top of these sheets with olive oil and layer 2 more fillo sheets across the top on a diagonal. Brush the top of these sheets with olive oil and layer with a further 2 sheets of fillo in the opposite direct to make a final star shape (i.e. filling all edges of the pie dish).
Now spoon in your filling and bring the edges of the fillo back over the top of your filling to 'close' the pie. Use the remaining filo sheets to top your pie - making sure to brush between each sheet with olive oil. Give your pie a final brush with olive oil to make sure all the fillo sheets are holding together and to produce a gorgeously golden pie!
Serves 6 (perfect with a green, leafy side-salad)