Old Rag Pie

Name: Old Rag Pie
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 9 generous slabs
Ingredients: 100 g soft unsalted butter; 270 g packet frozen phyllo pastry, thawed; 250 g feta cheese; 2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese; 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 2 large eggs; 150 ml full-fat milk; 1 tablespoon sesame seeds; 1 (12 ounce) jar honey

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Recipe by Nigella Lawson

Old Rag Pie is not the most glamorous name for something which, while being incredibly simple to make, will have you, and anyone who eats it, in raptures. The name is the English translation for the Greek Patsavouropita, created by bakeries as a way of using up old scraps of filo pastry: the ”old rags” indicated by the title. They’d just go along their counters, collect up all the bits and turn them into this pie. For this reason, you don’t need to worry about keeping your filo covered as you go, as is normally advised. It doesn’t matter if it dries out a little as you make it, indeed this can even be desirable. (Recipe courtesy Simply Nigella)

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READY IN: 2hrs

YIELD: 9 generous slabs

UNITS: US

INGREDIENTS

Nutrition

100

g soft unsalted butter
270

g packet frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
250

g feta cheese
2

teaspoons grated parmesan cheese
2

teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2

large eggs
150

ml full-fat milk
1

tablespoon sesame seeds
1

(12 ounce) jar honey

DIRECTIONS

Equipment: 8-inch square cake tin.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then take it off the heat.
Line your cake tin with a layer of filo, making sure it comes up the sides; you will need to use more than one sheet. Then pour 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the pastry.
Using one third of the remaining filo sheets, tear and scrunch the sheets up and drop them loosely in the tin. Then crumble in half the feta, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of Parmesan and just under ½ teaspoon of thyme leaves (or ¼ teaspoon of dried thyme) and pour a third of the remaining melted butter over the top.
Repeat, so that you use up all but a little of the butter and a small amount of thyme. For the last layer, you can use larger pieces of filo “rags” (as it’s the lid), filling the tin a little more tightly, but still scrunching them.
Fold the edges of overhanging filo over themselves, and pour the remaining butter on top. Using the sharp point of a knife, make 2 cuts down and 2 cuts across into the filo-packed tin, from edge to edge to create 9 sections. It’s important that you don’t use a blunt knife, as you don’t want to drag the filo or press down on it.
Beat the eggs with the milk, then pour over the contents of the tin. Sprinkle the last bit of thyme along with the sesame seeds on top. Let it stand for at least 30 minutes in a cool place before baking. If 2 hours is easier for your timetable, then put it in the fridge. And you can do this in advance.
Heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6, and bake the pie for 30 minutes. When it’s ready, the pastry will be golden and puffed up, and the inside set.
Let it stand for 10 minutes, then spoon 1 tablespoon of the honey over the top.
Cut into slices or slabs – using a serrated bread knife and sawing action to prevent squishing the filo on top too much, then pushing the knife down to cut through. Serve the pie directly from the tin and put the jar of honey, with a spoon in it (or you can pour it into a jug) on the table for people to add extra as they eat.

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