Serves 6 - 8 people
Greece
With crisp, buttery pastry and a soft spinach and feta cheese filling, this delicious pie is classic Greek family comfort food. The trick to creating the perfect Spanakopita is to be generous with the herbs. Serve with a Greek salad and crusty bread.
INGREDIENTS:
16 oz (450 g) spinach, drained
1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 eggs, beaten
10 oz (285 g) Greek feta cheese
1 lemon, zested
Salt and pepper
1 pack frozen phyllo (filo) pastry, thawed (you will need about 8-10 sheets)
4 tbsp butter
Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C.
Make the filling by mixing the spinach, chopped herbs, garlic, eggs, crumbled feta and lemon zest together in a bowl. Season to taste.
Unroll the thawed pastry and immediately cover with a clean, damp cloth to keep it from drying out.
Melt the butter in a small pan, then take a square or rectangular baking dish and line with a few sheets of the phyllo, laying each one in a different direction and making sure they drape over the sides of the dish. Brush each layer generously with butter. Keep layering until you have used about two thirds of the pastry.
Spoon in the spinach and feta mixture and smooth over the top, then butter a few more sheets and layer over the pie, bunching the sheets slightly to give lots of texture and fit snugly across the top of the pie. Finally, fold in the overlapping edges of pastry towards the middle. Butter the finished pie generously.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until crisp and golden. Allow to rest and serve just warm or at room temperature.