This traditional spanakopita recipe uses filo pastry. This Greek spinach pie is a tasty meat free dish that can be enjoyed as a hot or cold main meal. Spinach or silverbeet is also a wonder-vegetable packed full of vitamins and dietary fibre.
Traditional Spanakopita Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients:
360g baby spinach (or silverbeet)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 green onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup dill sprigs, finely chopped
¼ cup mint leaves, finely chopped
1 large lemon, finely grated rind
220g fetta, crumbled
200g low-fat ricotta (or cottage cheese)
¼ cup parmesan, finely grated
4 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper, to season
12 sheets filo pastry
80g butter, melted
Method:
Preheat oven to 200C. Put spinach in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water and stand for 1 minute or until wilted. Drain and rinse under cold water. Using your hands, squeeze as much liquid as possible from spinach. Transfer to a large bowl.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and green onion and cook for 1 minute. Cool. Add onion mixture to spinach with dill, mint, lemon rind, fetta, ricotta, parmesan and eggs. Stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Put 1 sheet of pastry on a flat surface. Brush with some butter and top with another sheet of pastry. Repeat 4 times. Line a 26cm x 16cm x 3cm-deep lamington pan with pastry sheets, allowing excess pastry to hang over edge. Spoon spinach mixture into pastry. Layer remaining sheets of pastry on a flat surface, brushing each layer with butter. Put over filling.
Trim pastry with kitchen scissors. Roll top and base layers of pastry together and tuck inside edge of pan.
Bake for 35–40 minutes or until crisp and golden. Stand for 5 minutes before cutting into portions. Serve.
Smart Tip:
If using silverbeet as an alternative to spinach, remove stalk and discard. Shred silverbeet leaves and blanch in boiling water until just wilted. Drain and squeeze excess water from silverbeet.
