Here’s a pretty version of Greek spanakopita with added artichokes and ricotta. The beauty of this showstopper dish is that you can make it a couple of hours ahead and let rest at room temperature. Best served warm or at room temperature as an excellent entrée for the vegetarians in the crowd.
Make-ahead tips
- Sauté and combine vegetables. Thoroughly cool. Then add cheese and egg mixture along with seasonings. Seal in tightly covered container and refrigerate overnight.
- The day of, prepare pastry and add cooled vegetables. Wrap in pan and refrigerate. Place in oven 1 hour before guests arrive. Allow to rest after baking for 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Flaky Phyllo Tart with Artichokes and Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 leeks, trimmed, white part only
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp (45 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus additional, if needed
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 10 oz (300 g) frozen leaf spinach, thawed
- 14 oz (398 mL) can artichoke hearts, well drained, cut into halves
- 4 sundried tomatoes, slivered
- 2 whole green onions, chopped
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh dill
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup (250 mL) ricotta, drained
- 3 organic eggs
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) grated nutmeg
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)
- 1 lb (500 g) box frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories378
- protein16g
- fat16g
- saturated fat6g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates44g
- sugars3g
- fibre5g
- sodium618mg
Directions
01
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease 9 in (23 cm) springform pan with removable sides and line bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
02
Wash leeks and thinly slice into rounds. Heat 1 Tbsp (15 mL) each of butter and olive oil in large, heavy saucepan. Add leeks and garlic, and sauteu0301 until soft, about 5 minutes. Do not brown. Transfer to large bowl. Squeeze spinach with your hands to remove excess liquid. Coarsely chop and add to leeks along with artichokes, sundried tomatoes, green onions, dill, and lemon zest.
03
In separate bowl, combine ricotta and eggs. Beat with mixer to blend. Beat in Parmesan and nutmeg. Gently fold into leek mixture. Add salt and pepper, to taste, if you wish. Set aside to fully cool.
04
Remove phyllo from package. Gently unroll sheets and place flat on kitchen towel or sheet of waxed paper. Phyllo dries out very quickly, so keep pastry you arenu2019t working with covered with plastic wrap or waxed paper and then a damp kitchen towel.
05
Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on flat surface. Brush with olive oil from centre of pastry to edges. Gently line base and sides of springform pan, oil side down, leaving excess pastry edges to hang over the edge. Rotate pan a quarter turn each time you place an additional sheet on top of the previous one. Donu2019t worry if phyllo tears, as the next layer of pastry will rectify it. Once all sheets have been added, tip leek filling into pastry-lined pan and gently spread in even layer. Fold excess pastry that hangs over sides of pan toward centre, creating ruffles.
06
Bake in preheated oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until filling is piping hot and pastry golden.
07
Remove to rack to settle for 15 minutes. Then gently remove sides of pan and transfer tart to serving platter. Cut into wedges and serve with a spinach and shaved asparagus salad with apples and walnuts.
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Tourtière AU Cerf
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
Artichauts en Barigoule
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de Canut
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.