Ingredients:

• 100ml olive oil
• 4 Spanish onions, halved and finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch granulated sugar
• ½ bunch dill, finely chopped or 2 tsp dried dill
• 6 vine plum tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped, reserve half their juices
• 1 tsp tomato puree
• 50g blanched almonds, blitzed to a crumble
• 250g feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 packet filo pastry, approx 12 sheets
• 150g melted butter

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas 6. Heat olive oil in a large surface pan, gently fry the onions over a low heat, add the garlic, cinnamon and sugar and increase heat. Fry for about 6 minutes until caramelised.

• Add the dill, tomatoes and some of their juices, and tomato puree and cook for a further 5 minutes until reduced. Unfold the pastry and cut in half, keep covered with a damp cloth to stop from drying out.

• Brush baking tin (approx 30 x 20 cm) with melted butter, line the tin with a sheet of filo, brush with butter and repeat again, to give a three layer thickness. Spread half the onion mixture over the pastry, top with half the almonds and half the feta.

• Sandwich three layers of filo together brushing each with melted butter and place on top of onion feta mix. Top with remaining onions, almonds and feta and again top with a three layered piece of filo.

• Lightly score the top cutting 6 diamonds, brush with butter and splash with a little water, place on a baking tray and cook for 30-35 minutes until golden.

• Cool a little before serving. Serve with a shaved fennel, black olive, watercress, mint and parsley salad, dressed with a little lemon juice and olive oil. Or serve with some tsatziki.


Maria Elia has been head chef at Delfina, the restaurant at Delfina Gallery on London's Southbank, for the past nine years.

Maria's highly-praised menu changes fortnightly and reflects her adventurous, distinctive and no-boundaries style of cooking.

Her love affair with food started as a child when she watched her Greek-Cypriot father cooking in his restaurant.

She trained for five years and undertook her apprentice at Café Royal's Grill Room where she was one of the first female chefs to have worked there.

Maria went on to work in some of London's leading kitchens, before working in restaurants in Europe and the Far East.

www.cooksforcooks.com

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