It takes a lot of time and practise to make a filo (or phyllo) pastry. Clearly, mine is a ready-to-roll one. Who knows, one day I might go to central Asia or Greece and learn how to do it…. It’s actually on my bucket list. 

The practise is coming from the Ottoman empire. Made with flour, water and white winegar or oil, the most famous and oldest dish known to be made with filo is the Baklava. Here is my own and fast version of it : http://www.marlenefoodstyling.com/2015/04/baklavas-my-way/

For now, I bought 2 for my clients, made some rolls filled with butternut squash and sage. Because it was a party of 15 and I cooked for an army, I have some dough and filling left but I don’t want to roll right now. So, I made some lasagna kind of.

 

Filo pastry lasagna, serves 6.  
Ingredients :

• 2  butternut squash
• 200g of chestnuts
• 400g of ricotta cheese
• 1 big onion
• 1 bunch of sage
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

 

Method :

Peel and remove the seeds of the butternut squashes.  Cook them in salted boiling water till it gets tender. 

While it’s cooking, peel and cut the onion finely, fry it slowly in olive oil. 

Chop the sage and mix it with the ricotta cheese, add salt and pepper.

When the squashes are ready, mash them, add the onion, the ricotta cheese and finally the chestnuts that you will cut with your fingers in big chunks.  Salt and pepper again. 

In a big baking tray, put first one or two filo sheet, then the mix, then the filo etc… to the top.  Brush the last sheet with a bit of olive oil to get a golden effect. 

Put in the oven at 200°c / gas 6 for around 30 min till the first sheet is crispy and golden.