Recipes

A favourite from Henrietta Green, this is a lovely light chicken tart for a summer lunch.

Serves 6

    2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
    2 onions, peeled and finely sliced
    2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
    Large handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
    4 medium courgettes, finely grated
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    2 large eggs
    150ml (¼ pint) double cream
    12 sheets filo pastry
    75g (3oz) unsalted butter, melted
    Zest of 2 oranges, grated
    225g (8oz) smoked chicken, cut into strips

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions gently over a moderate heat for about 5-7 minutes until softened, but only slightly coloured. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the courgettes and cook until softened. Remove from the heat, season and leave to cool slightly. Beat the eggs together with the cream, stir into the courgettes and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Lay 1 sheet of filo pastry in the base of a lightly oiled 25 x 20cm (10 x 8in) baking tin, trimming to fit as necessary, and brush with a little melted butter. Sprinkle with some of the grated orange zest, then repeat the process with 5 more sheets of pastry. Spoon the prepared filling on top of the pastry, level off the surface and sprinkle with the smoked chicken strips. Layer the remaining 6 sheets of filo pastry on top, again brushing each one with butter and sprinkling with orange zest. Brush the top layer thoroughly with butter. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-35 minutes until the filo turns a golden brown.