Phyllo tartlets with spinach, pumpkin,
feta and pine nuts
Serves 4
Roasted pumpkin, spinach and creamy
feta cheese encased in delicate phyllo pastry, topped with pine nuts
and baked until golden.
6 phyllo (filo) pastry sheets
2 cups peeled, diced pumpkin or winter squash
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion — finely chopped
8 oz (230g) fresh spinach — stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 oz (115g) feta cheese — crumbled
1 tablespoon butter — melted
2 tablespoons pine nuts
PREHEAT oven to 350°F/180°C. TOSS the
diced pumpkin with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, place in a single
layer on a baking tray and cook for 15 minutes. WHILE the pumpkin
bakes, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium
heat. COOK the onion for 6 minutes, then add the spinach and cook
for 4 minutes, stirring regularly. STIR in the dill, salt and pepper
and remove from the heat. STIR in the crumbled feta and baked
pumpkin (keep the oven heated to 350°F/180°C) and set aside. COMBINE
the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the melted butter in a
small bowl. PLACE 2 phyllo sheets side-by-side on a work surface and
brush each sheet evenly with the butter-oil mix. Place 2 more sheets
on top and brush with butter-oil, then repeat once more. CUT each
stack into six 5-inch (12.5 cm) squares, for a total of 12 stacks
with 3 sheets each. LIGHTLY grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan with
the butter-oil mix. PLACE each square phyllo stack into a muffin
cup, pressing gently to mould the pastry into the bottom. SPOON ¼
cup of the spinach-pumpkin filling into each and fold the extra
pastry back over the filling, roughly crumpling around the edges so
that the filling is still exposed. BRUSH the edges with the
remaining butter-oil mix. SPRINKLE pine nuts in the middle of each
tart. BAKE for 22 minutes, then remove from the oven, and transfer
the tarts from the muffin pan to a cooling rack. LET cool slightly
then serve.
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