Everything Green triangles: yes, you may use your hands

These tasty and nutritious triangles, covered with a seedy sprinkle, are sure to put smiles on faces. And yes, you may use your hands.

Dig in: Everything Green triangles. Picture: Guy Bailey

Think of silverbeet as spinach’s more reliable relative. It’s got all of the green stuff, but less of the disappearing act in the pan. I’ve called these “Everything Green” triangles because if you’re sans silverbeet but swimming in spinach, use that! Just cut the wilting time in half. The delicious seedy sprinkle is usually found on New York-style bagels, but works so well with filo, a fine pastry that laps up butter and gives it back to you in rewardingly flaky bites.

Everything Green triangles

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ small fennel bulb, washed and finely chopped, fronds reserved for garnish

3 spring onions, finely sliced

3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

500g silverbeet, leaves and stems separated

2 eggs

200g cottage cheese

¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon lemon zest

125g unsalted butter

12 sheets filo pastry (see tips)

Seedy sprinkle

¼ cup sesame seeds

¼ cup poppy seeds

1 tablespoon nigella seeds

1 tablespoon salt flakes

1 tablespoon fried shallots

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Herby yoghurt sauce

1 cup Greek yoghurt

3 cloves garlic, finely grated

Zest and juice ½ lemon

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 tablespoon freshly chopped soft herbs such as mint, chives, parsley and/or dill

Combine the seedy sprinkle ingredients in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together the herby yoghurt sauce ingredients and set aside in the fridge for the flavours to meld.

Heat olive oil in a large pot and sauté the fennel, spring onion and garlic for 2 minutes until softened. Leave some oil in the pot while lifting the mix into a bowl. Chop the silverbeet leaves into thin strips; do the same with the stems. Add the stems to the pot for 2-3 minutes until softened and translucent, then add the leaves; stir to coat with the oil and pop a lid on for 5 minutes until totally wilted. Leave to cool a little, then place this mixture into a colander over a bowl and press out any excess moisture. In a large bowl, combine the fennel mixture, silverbeet, eggs, cottage cheese, nutmeg, zest, a good pinch of salt and a crack of pepper.

Preheat oven to 200C (180C fan). Melt the butter and use a pastry brush to grease up two baking trays. Prepare the filo by placing a sheet on a board, then brushing with melted butter. Place another sheet on top and brush again with butter. Cut the two-layer filo stack into three strips on the longest side. Plop a generous spoonful of mixture at the far edge of one of the strips, then fold the mixture over from corner to flat edge, forming a triangle. Keep folding, following the triangle shape, finishing with the seam on top. Repeat this process with the remaining filo sheets and filling.

Place on prepared baking trays, brush with more melted butter, then liberally top with the seedy sprinkle and place in the oven, baking for 25-30 minutes until sufficiently golden. Serve hot, accompanied with the yoghurt sauce and garnished with fennel fronds. These triangles are also great cold for lunch-boxes and mid-afternoon snacking. Makes 18

TOP TIPS

Don’t let the absence of a few of the sprinkle ingredients in your pantry stop you. Just a smattering of sesame seeds is great. Whatever soft herbs you have will work in the sauce, too.

Keep the filo from drying out by placing a damp tea towel over the sheets until they’re used.