Spanakopita

This is a Greek pie made of spinach and feta in a spectacular casing of delicate filo pastry. Best enjoyed hot when the filo retains its wonderful crunch but equally delicious warm or cold. Perfect for a light lunch, picnic or healthy vegetarian supper, however, if you wish to be a true Greek, enjoy for breakfast with coffee.

Enjoy.

30 minutes

1 hour 15

180ºC

Ingredients

115g butter

- melted
900g frozen spinach

- thawed
400g feta

- crumbled
2 rounded tbsp grated parmesan
6 spring onions

- trimmed and finely sliced
Large handful of fresh dill

- finely chopped
4 eggs

- beaten
Freshly ground nutmeg

- pinch
275g frozen filo pastry

- approximately 12 sheets, thawed

Instructions

Prepare tin:
01 Lightly grease a 27cm x 19cm baking tin with melted butter.
Make filling:
02 Drain the spinach in a colander, gently squeezing out as much excess water as you can. Place spinach, feta, parmesan, spring onions, dill, eggs and nutmeg into a large bowl. Season with black pepper and mix well. NO NEED to add salt as feta is naturally salty to taste.
Assemble:
03 Begin to layer the baking dish with approximately 10 sheets of filo pastry, brushing melted butter in between each layer. Allow the sides to hang over the edges of the dish. Spoon the spinach egg mixture into the tin and fold over the overhanging filo pastry edges over the filling. Brush the pastry with a little more melted butter. Place the last two sheets of filo on top of the pie and tuck the edges down the sides. Brush again with butter.
Bake:
04 Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or so until golden brown. Allow to stand for 10 minutes to set before serving.
Serve:
05 This delightful pie can be served hot or cold, on its own or with a lovely Greek Salad.

Notes

For convenience I always use frozen, defrosted spinach but of course it is also possible to use fresh. The top of the pie can be pre-cut into squares or wedges or left plain and cut when removed from the oven. This pie can also be assembled ahead of time (and overnight), stored in the fridge and baked when required. If more melted butter is required during assembly go ahead and use. For vegans use plant based alternatives.