Recipe: Spinach and feta pie recipe from the Athenian

This healthy spinach pie is as Greek as it gets! And the good news is that it’s packed with vitamins and minerals, especially iron from the spinach. Eat it as a snack, with salad as a light meal or take a slice to work as a packed lunch.

Serves 6

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 1.5kg/3lb spinach, washed and trimmed
• 2 bunches of spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 small bunch of dill, finely chopped
• 300g/10oz feta crumbled
• 100g/3½ oz (1 cup) grated Kefalotyri or Graviera chesse
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• ½tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 medium free-range eggs, beaten
• 300g/10oz pack (or 12 sheets) filo (phyllo) pastry
• Freshly grated black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 190/375F/ gas mark 5. Lightly brush a deep 30x20cm/12x8in ovenproof dish or baking pan with olive oil.

Put the damp spinach leaves into a large saucepan. Cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat for two to three minutes, shaking the pan a few times, until the spinach wilts. Drain in a colander, pressing down hard with a small plate or saucer to extract all the excess water. Put the strained spinach between two large pieces of kitchen paper (paper towels) and press down lightly. When cool, chop coarsely.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan (skillet) and cook the spring onions and garlic for four to five minutes, or until tender. Remove and cool.

Put the spinach, spring onions, garlic, dill and cheeses in a bowl. Stir in the lemon zest, nutmeg and beaten eggs. Season with pepper – don’t add any salt as the feta is salty.

Place a sheet of filo pastry in the oiled dish and brush lightly with olive oil. Add five more sheets, brushing in between in the same way, so you end up with six layers.

Spread the spinach mixture over the pastry and level the top. Cover with a sheet of filo pastry, brushing it lightly with oil, and then add the remaining five sheets in the same way.

Brush the top of the pie with oil, then bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until it is crisp and golden brown.

Remove the pie from the oven and stand for a few minutes betfore cutting into squares or slices. Serve lukewarm or cold.

Variations

Use Parmesan if you can’t find any hard Greek cheese for grating.

Cook a sliced leek along with the spring onions and garlic.

Tip

While you assemble the pie, make sure you cover the pack of filo pastry with a clean damp cloth to prevent it drying out and cracking.

Recipe from Eat Like a Greek by Tim Vasilakis (Ebury Press, £14.99)