RECIPE: Stuffed pasta shells

This pie is an absolute beauty. It occasionally flares up virally (in a good way) on my Insta feed, because once you learn it you’ll make it often. You’ll adapt it and make it your own. It will become a staple.

serves 8

Ingredients

1 bunch rainbow chard, leaves removed and torn, stalks chopped into 1cm (½ inch) pieces

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 teaspoons ghee (olive oil is fine too)

1 bunch kale, chopped into 4cm (1½ inch) pieces

250g frozen spinach, thawed, drained

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

500g fresh ricotta

2 eggs, lightly beaten (reserve 1 teaspoon for the egg wash)

Handful of dill, chopped

Handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Handful of mint leaves, chopped

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

250g haloumi, grated

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 rectangular sheet (or 2 squares) good-quality shortcrust pastry

1 rectangular sheet (or 2 squares) good-quality puff pastry

1 tablespoon black and white sesame seeds

Optional ingredients

Lemon wedges, sriracha and kewpie mayonnaise

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). In a large frying pan over medium heat, fry the chard stalks, garlic and onion in the ghee for 10 minutes.

2. Turn the heat to high, add the chard and kale leaves and fry for a further 5 minutes.

3. Add the spinach and season, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.

4. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, beaten egg (except the teaspoon you’ve remembered to keep back),
dill, parsley, mint, lemon zest and juice, haloumi and dried oregano. Stir in the chard mixture.

5. On a large (50 cm x 30 cm/20 inch x 12 inch) baking tray lined with baking paper, place one rectangular sheet of shortcrust pastry, or overlap two square sheets and seal at the centre.

6. Spoon the ricotta and chard mixture on top.

7. Top with the sheet of puff pastry, crimp the edges to seal completely and score using long diagonal slashes.

8. Whisk together the reserved egg and 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Brush over the pastry and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

9. Bake for 40 minutes until golden and puffed.

Recipe extracts from Every Night Of The Week by Lucy Tweed. Published by Murdoch Books, RRP$40.