Serves 4

There’s been a glut of chard and spinach to harvest at the freely fruity site this week. If you come across some of these supergreens, here is a delicious way to eat them. The stalks of rainbow chard are too beautiful to cook so here they are quickly pickled and taste fantastic with the salty feta and filo.

Method

1. Place the pickling liquor ingredients into a medium bowl and mix until the sugar and salt have dissolved 
2. Tear the stalks off the chard, slice the stalks and place them into the pickling liquor; set aside
3. Tear up the chard leaves and set aside
4. Place a large frying pan (one you have a lid for) onto a medium heat and melt the butter with 1 tbsp oil. Add the onion, coriander and salt and fry until soft and translucent; about 5 minutes
5. Add half of the chard leaves and cover with the lid for a few minutes until wilted then add the rest. Repeat with the spinach then uncover the pan for a few minutes and cook until any water has evaporated; switch off the heat and cool 
6. In a large bowl lightly beat the eggs then crumble in the feta, mix well with some pepper and the lemon zest
7. Preheat the oven to 185°C
8. Mix the chard and spinach into the egg mixture
9. Brush one sheet of filo with oil then lay another on top to form a cross. Brush this sheet with oil and place a third sheet on the diagonal, brush this sheet with oil and finish with the final sheet on the other diagonal
10. Use this filo star to line a 20cm / 8inch springform cake tin, letting the edges fall over the sides
11. Fill the middle with the chard mixture then fold the overhanging pastry into the middle, brush with a little more oil and a pinch of onion seeds 
12. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden
13. Remove from the tin and cool a little
14. Drain the pickled stalks and when ready to serve, pile in the centre of the pie

Recipe by Charlotte Simpkins for Freely Fruity