My take on a Greek classic; spanakopita or spinach and cheese pie.
Salty cheese, earthy spinach, fragrant herbs and crisp, flaky pastry. Good warm but even better at room temperature for lunch the next day.
Made a very generous tea for two people and a lunch for one with salad.
| Ingredients | Equipment to have ready |
| Half a giant tin of Turkish cheese (or 4 packs of 200g feta blocks) | Chopping board |
| 8 lumps of frozen spinach (defrosted and liquid squeezed out of it) | Sharp knife |
| Handful of parsley, finely chopped | Fine grater |
| Handful of mint, finely chopped | Large mixing bowl |
| Handful of coriander, finely chopped | Baking dish |
| 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped | Pastry brush (or your fingers if you don’t have one!) |
| 1 clove of garlic minced (if it’s the season, a few wild garlic leaves finely chopped would be perfect in place of the bulb garlic) | Fork |
| Ground black pepper | |
| Few grates of nutmeg (probably equates to 1/4 tsp) | |
| 2 eggs | |
| 12 filo pastry sheets (defrosted if using frozen) | |
| Olive oil or butter (olive oil probably more traditional but I prefer the end result of butter – you could mix the two) |
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
- First make the filling. In a large bowl break up the cheese with a fork. Mix in the spinach, herbs, spring onion, garlic, pepper, nutmeg and eggs until well combined.
- Grease a baking dish or tin with oil (or butter or a mixture of both as you wish).
- Brush a sheet of filo with oil/butter, put a sheet on top and brush with oil/butter. Continue until you have layered up six sheets. Transfer to the baking dish or tin. It’s ok, if the filo comes up the sides, you can tuck it in at the end.
- Tip the cheese mixture into the dish and spread out evenly.
- Layer up the remaining sheets of filo, as before, and lay on top of the cheese mixture. Tuck in and fold over the sides of the pastry. Brush the top generously with oil/butter.
- Cut through the top of the pastry only to create your portions (makes it easier to cut and extract from the dish once cooked without the pastry shattering everywhere).
- Bake for around 45 minutes until the mixture is set and the pastry is golden.
- Leave to cool for 10 minutes or so before eating, though this is best left for the next day and eaten cold or at room temperature.