Greek style spinach, feta and filo pie
Greek style spinach, feta and filo pie
A super easy spring-to-summer classic, serves 6-8
There are so many versions of spanakopita, and this recipe is a mash-up of ingredients I’ve seen used over the years. In my catering kitchen, a Greek chef would pretty much stick to this version although without the bulgar wheat, that works well, I think, to soak up any excess moisture.
1 x baking dish approx. 30x25cm or a 10inch cake tin or a 10inch tart tin.
1 pack filo pastry (250g)
1k frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
1 onion, sliced
4 spring onions, sliced
2 small garlic cloves, pasted with sea salt
1 pack feta cheese, crumbled (200g)
Parsley, 1 good handful, roughly chopped
Dill, 1 small bunch, picked
50g bulghar wheat
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Zest from 1 small unwaxed lemon
Grated nutmeg
Olive oil
Crunchy salt
Defrost the spinach, squeeze out its moisture until it feels dry.
Sauté the chopped onion until soft, add the pasted garlic and cook until you get a whiff of its nutty aroma, then add to the spinach. In a mixing bowl, combine the spinach with the spring onion, feta, parsley, and dill, bulgar, eggs, crumbled feta, lemon zest and a grating of fresh nutmeg. Season, taste the mix, pour in a lug of olive oil and give everything a decent stir.
Lightly oil the dish/tin/tart tin
Working with a couple of filo sheets at a time, (keeping the remainder covered under a clean tea cloth to prevent the pastry from cracking), brush each pastry sheet with olive oil and gently layer up in your dish until you’re halfway through the pack.
Fill your dish with the spinach mix, spreading it out evenly. Continue to layer the pie with the remainder of the filo, folding any excess around the edges back into the dish.
Give the pie a final brush with olive oil, and bake in the preheated oven at 200c for about 30minutes or until golden. Allow to cool a bit before slicing.