Spanakopita
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Spanakopita
Recipe by Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation
Ingredients
2 tbsp Squeaky Gate extra virgin olive oil
6 spring onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 very large bunch of winter greens, stems removed, leaves washed, dried and finely chopped
3 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
a handful of parsley, chopped
4 eggs
220 g feta cheese, crumbled
220 g ricotta
80 g parmesan freshly grated
¼ cup Squeaky Gate extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
16 sheets filo pastry
Raco baking dish
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Prepare all the ingredients based on the instructions in the ingredients list.
To make the filling:
Heat oil in the frying pan over a medium heat and sauté the spring onions until soft.
Add the garlic, nutmeg, pepper, winter greens, chives and parsley.
Fry, constantly stirring, until the greens are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Transfer to a colander to drain and cool.
Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Gently fold in the cheeses and the cooled winter greens mixture to combine.
To assemble and cook the spanakopita:
Brush the baking dish with oil. To stop your filo from drying out as you work, cover sheets with foil, then cover this with a damp tea towel.
Layer half the quantity of sheets in the bottom of the baking dish, brushing each sheet of filo with oil before laying it in the dish.
Spread the greens and cheese filling over the pastry sheets.
Lay the remaining filo over the filling, one sheet of pastry at time, brushing each sheet with oil.
Coat the top sheet lightly with oil and tuck any overlap into the sides and corners of the baking dish.
Score the top layer of filo into squares or diamonds.
Bake for 30–40 minutes until golden brown.
Follow the score lines to cut up the pie, and serve.
