Rick Stein’s Cornwall: Horta Pie Recipe

Hortopita

As seen in series two episode ten of Rick’s Stein’s Cornwall on BBC2 – Rick’s Horta pie recipe is a Cornish take on a Mediterranean classic. Cook at home with seasonal greens for your friends and family.

Rick says: In a lot of Mediterranean countries the gathering of wild greens is part of life. I have filmed excursions in Italy and Greece before and asked the simple question, ‘Why don’t we do this back home?’ There is plenty to choose from: nettles, wild Parsley, purslane, sea kale, dandelions and wild garlic to name but a few. However, this pie is also well worth making with leaves you can buy, such as chard, spinach, radicchio or rocket.

Serves Four

Ingredients

10 sheets filo pastry
Olive oil, for greasing and brushing

For the filling

1kg horta (mixed greens): such as dandelion leaves, wild garlic, nettles, sea beet, spear leaved orache, sea arrow grass, spinach and chard
Juice of 1 lemon 
2 medium or 3 small onions, halved and sliced
2 eggs
600g feta cheese, crumbled or chopped
1 tsp salt
20 turns black peppermill

Method

To prepare the filling, wash and chop the horta. In a very large bowl, combine the onions,greens, lemon juice then add the eggs and feta and mix well. Season with the salt and pepper.

Heat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.Oil the base of a 40 – 45cm ovenproof dish, then line with a sheet of filo pastry. Brush with olive oil, then place another sheet on top. Continue until you have 5 sheets of the filo in the dish. Put the horta mixture in the dish. Place the remaining 5 sheets of filo on top, oiling between each layer. Fold in the pastry from the edges to seal the filling in the pie, brush the top with more olive.

Cook for 50 to 60 minutes. If the pastry is browning too fast then cover with a sheet of foil.

The pie is now ready to serve. It is delicious served warm or cold.