A Stunning Phyllo Pie That's Best Eaten Outside

With the weather warming up, it’s time to get into picnic mode, which basically means taking every available opportunity to eat outdoors. Somehow, everything always tastes better consumed in the open air on a fine day. For this menu, suitable for lunch or dinner, everything can be prepared well in advance. Best of all, it’s all quite easy to transport.

To start, I’ve prepared a salad where pickled beets and eggs star. Well-seasoned pickled vegetables are extremely popular in Greece and Turkey, and my recipe incorporates hints from Pennsylvania Dutch traditions. It’s also dead simple.

You make a well-spiced, sweet-sour brine and simmer beets in it till they’re tender. Peeled hard-boiled eggs pickle in the same ruby-red brine. They go in for a bath and emerge with a colorful, pink-rimmed exterior. Both ingredients benefit from a night or two in the fridge, so make them whenever you have a chance in the days before the picnic. They’ll keep a week or more and only improve. I like to serve them split open on a crisp lettuce leaf with spears of fresh cucumber.

Then, for a portable main course, think savory pastry, specifically a phyllo-wrapped pie. Like Greek spanakopita, this recipe features a hearty green filling; but rather than spinach, it’s chard, accompanied by softened leeks, creamy ricotta, salty feta and heaps of chopped dill. It’s delicious warm or at room temperature, and while you could bake it in a rectangular pan, it’s far more impressive in a round.

Phyllo is a forgiving medium. If you tear a sheet by mistake, it’s easy to patch together, and no one will be the wiser. And, as long as your ingredients are not too wet, you’ll have a crisp, flaky, golden result. If you wish, you can assemble the pie a day in advance unbaked, then pop it in the oven a few hours before serving.

A nutty, not-too-sweet take on truffles ends this meal. It’s based on a friend’s recipe for chocolate-dipped Greek truffles, but with some changes: I wanted to simplify the process and put the emphasis on walnuts, adding walnut oil and orange liqueur for richness. To finish, they may be rolled in coconut, dusted with cocoa or both.

For this picnic, if you brought a chilled bottle of wine to accompany the meal, go one step further and bring a thermos of hot coffee or tea to go with dessert.

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Recipe: Pickled Beets and Eggs

Well-seasoned pickled vegetables are extremely popular in Greece and Turkey. This version also takes hints from Pennsylvania Dutch traditions. It’s best to make the beets at least a couple of days before serving (they’ll keep a week or more in the fridge). They’ll pickle in the same liquid as the eggs, giving them a colorful pink exterior.

By David Tanis

Yield: 8 servings

Total time: 1 1/2 hours, plus overnight chilling

Ingredients:

2 pounds medium red beets, peeled (3 to 4 beets)

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 (2-inch) piece cinnamon stick

1 dried chile de árbol or other dried hot red pepper

3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

2 cups apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

2 cups water

8 large eggs, boiled 10 minutes, chilled and peeled

Lettuce leaves, for serving

Fresh cucumber, cut in spears, for serving (optional)

Preparation:

1. Cut beets into wedges and place in a heavy nonreactive soup pot or Dutch oven.

2. Add fennel, coriander, cinnamon, dried chile, garlic, bay leaves, sugar and salt.

3. Cover with vinegar and 2 cups water, and stir. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until beets are fork tender but still slightly firm.

4. Let beets and brine cool to room temperature. Taste pickle brine and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Add peeled eggs to pot and submerge in brine. (Alternatively, put eggs in a separate container and ladle brine over.) Refrigerate overnight or, preferably, for 2 or 3 days.

5. To serve, remove beet wedges and eggs from brine. Serve beets on lettuce leaves, topped with halved pickled eggs. Season cucumber wedges with salt and pepper and add to plate.

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Recipe: Chard and Ricotta Pie

Recalling a spanakopita, this chard-filled recipe has a substantial savory green filling. Delicious served warm or at room temperature, it travels well, making it ideal picnic fare. It may be baked in a rectangular pan, but looks most impressive served from a round baking dish.

By David Tanis

Yield: 8 servings

Total time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

2 or 3 large bunches chard, stems removed

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large leek, split lengthwise and cut into half-moons

Salt and pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

8 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg, more to taste

8 ounces feta

12 ounces ricotta, drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, for brushing the phyllo

1/4 cup olive oil, for brushing the phyllo

10 phyllo sheets, thawed

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Preparation:

1. Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cut chard leaves into 1/2-inch ribbons and wash well, then drain. Once the water is boiling, blanch chard in batches until wilted, 1 minute. Drain in a colander and let cool while you proceed with the recipe. Once cool, use your hands to squeeze a handful at a time and remove as much water as possible.

2. Heat olive oil in a large, wide skillet over medium-high. Add chopped leek, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until softened without browning, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Transfer cooked leek to a large mixing bowl.

3. Add drained chard to the bowl. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Add cayenne, scallions, lemon zest and juice, and nutmeg. Toss with hands or wooden spoons to distribute seasoning.

4. Break feta into chunks and add to the bowl, along with ricotta and dill. Gently toss and taste mixture, adjusting seasoning if necessary, then add beaten eggs and mix well. Set aside.

5. Build the pie: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the melted butter and olive oil, and use it to grease the bottom of a 12-inch skillet or baking dish (or use a 9-by-13-inch pan). Layer in 6 phyllo sheets, lightly buttering or drizzling each sheet and letting excess phyllo flop over the edge of the pan. (If using a circular pan, rotate each sheet slightly as you go.)

6. Fill with chard mixture and smooth to edges of pan with a spatula. Top with 4 more sheets of phyllo, buttering each sheet, letting excess flop over the edge of the pan.

7. Fold any excess phyllo back over the top and toward the center. Press and butter the top a bit more. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. (If desired, refrigerate unbaked pie at this point and bake later.)

8: Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 and bake for 30 to 45 minutes more, until well browned and crisp. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting into wedges. Or, alternatively, let cool completely and serve at room temperature.

Tip: Pie may be reheated if desired, for 15 minutes in a 375-degree oven.

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Recipe: Spiced Walnut Truffles

This nutty, Greek-inspired take on truffles combines ground walnuts, coconut, cinnamon and cloves for a not-too-sweet result. To finish, roll them in coconut flakes, dust them with cocoa, or both.

By David Tanis

Yield: About 36 truffles

Total time: 30 mins, plus overnight chilling

Ingredients:

12 ounces (340 grams) walnut halves and pieces (about 3 1/2 cups), lightly toasted

1 cup (75 grams) dried coconut, plus another 1 cup for rolling

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons walnut oil or olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Generous pinch of kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier (optional)

Cocoa powder, for dusting

Preparation:

1. In a food processor, pulse walnuts until they’re roughly chopped.

2. Add coconut, honey, sugar, lemon juice, walnut oil, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Process until mixture comes together in a mass. Add liqueur (if using) and pulse a few times to distribute.

3. With dampened or lightly oiled hands, form the mixture into 1-inch balls (about 1 tablespoon scoop). Roll balls in coconut to coat and dust with cocoa powder if desired. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight for best flavor. Pull out of the refrigerator about an hour before serving. Serve at room temperature.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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