There is a lot of baklava consumed in Greece. If not by the Greeks themselves, then at least by the throngs of summer tourists who descend on those blue waters in August. Presented with sticky-crunchy-drippy pastry, we followed the when in Rome (or Athans) mantra and reached for the nearest fork. I’ve never been a huge lover of baklava’s syrupy sweetness but, with a café fredo or an espresso chaser, and served ice-ice cold, the Greek baklava categorically won me over.
In the city of Chania, on the western side of Crete, we came across a family shop, where the owner (now in his 70s) has been making hand-pulled phyllo dough for more than 50 years. He put on an inspiring dough-stretching show for us, and in return we gladly paid 10 Euros for a tiny box of homemade phyllo treats.
Fortunately, today’s recipe does not require draping your dining room table in bed sheets or dough acrobatics best left to the experts. This is more of a clear out the refrigerator endeavor I baked last night to munch with wine. Having bought a pack of frozen phyllo for an apple strudel, I wound up with a few miscellaneous sheets left floating in the freezer. Brushed and layered with butter and parmesan cheese, they made an excellent vehicle for a deeply carmelized onion and a few rings of soft-sweet roasted delicata squash.
Delicata, if you aren’t familiar with its charm, is a favorite thin-skinned winter squash, perfect for stuffing or slicing into pretty rings. The cooked skin is yielding enough to be eaten, just be sure to give it a good wash before roasting. Any winter vegetable would be welcome here though – butternut or acorn squash, thinly sliced potatoes, parsnips, or even roasted carrots.
Makes one 10 inch tart which serves 8-10 as a before dinner snack, or 4-6 as a light meal with salad and bread.
One Year Ago: Spiced Red Lentil Soup with Ginger and Coconut and Kasha Breakfast Porridge.
Phyllo and Delicata Squash Tart
- 1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium delicata squash, washed, seeded, and cut into thin rings (about ½ inch thick)
- Salt and pepper
- 4 sheets prepared phyllo pastry
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 3-4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, divided
- ½ cup grated gruyere (substitute any Swiss, mildgouda, or cheddar you have on hand)
- ½ tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- ½ tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Set a medium sauté pan over medium high heat and drizzle in a little olive oil. Add the sliced onion and sauté until wilted with a little salt, and then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized – this takes about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the squash rings on a baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast until softened and beginning to brown, 25-30 minutes.
Once the onions and squash are cooked, prepare the tart shell by brushing a 10 inch tart pan with a little melted butter. Lay one sheet of phyllo in the pan (its edges should overhang) and brush with butter – make sure to get all the way to the edge. Sprinkle over a little parmesan cheese (no more than 1 tsp) and top with a second phyllo sheet. Repeat with the remaining sheets, omitting the butter and parmesan on the top sheet. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, trim the corners of the phyllo so you have approximately a 2 inch overhand all around your pan – don’t worry about making this perfectly even.
Transfer the caramelized onions into the bottom of the tart, then top with the squash rings. Sprinkle over the gruyere, a little extra parmesan, and the fresh herbs. Gently fold the edges of the phyllo into the tart pan – they should look crinkled and very rustic. Brush the exposed phyllo edges with a little melted butter and bake the tart 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately or reheat at 375 degrees for 10 minutes before serving.