Ingredients
Makes 12 portions
- 750g spinach leaves
- 3 bunches spring onions
- 3 eggs
- 500g quality feta cheese
- Organic filo
- Fresh herbs
- Extra virgin organic olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
- Nutmeg
Preparation
Filo pastry works best in this classic dish when it’s thawed properly. It needs time to rest and too much moisture in the dough will end in disaster. It’s best to leave it in the fridge for 12 hours before using. Then as you’re getting ready to assemble, unroll the thawed sheets of filo and place them between two slightly damp kitchen cloths to maintain temperature. This will also help prevent the dough from tearing too much.
Method
- Preheat the oven to around 180 degrees.
- Wash and drain the spinach thoroughly and be sure to remove any excess liquid.
- Chop the fresh spinach leaves and spring onions and grate all the feta cheese into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs, mint, salt and pepper and nutmeg to make the filling. Mix well.
- Unroll the filo pastry from the packaging and place between two slightly damp kitchen cloths.
- Take a large baking dish and brush the sides with olive oil.
- Line a flat tray or baking dish with two sheets of filo letting them cover the sides of the dish. Brush lightly each layer with an egg wash (take an egg and whisk in a small bowl). Repeat until you have ten layers complete.
- Now, take the spinach filling and evenly spread the spinach and feta filling over the filo crust.
- Continue to layer the filo two at a time until you have ten layers on top of the filling, each lightly brushed with the egg wash. Don’t worry if the filo tears. Try and keep two of the best sheets for the top.
- Brush the very top layer with olive oil and sprinkle with just a few drops of water. This will help it turn golden. Fold the flaps or excess from the sides (you can crumble them a little). Brush the folded sides well with olive oil.
- Cut spanakopita only part way through into squares.
- Bake at 180° for around 35 minutes until pastry is golden.
“Spanakopita is a comforting dish that tastes great throughout the year. For me, there’s nothing better than the smell of freshly cooked layers of beautifully crispy spanakopita wafting through your kitchen. Perfectly baked Greek pastry smells delicious and tastes amazing with a light Greek salad.”
– Muli Mukja, Head chef, Halloumi, Glasgow
