SPINACH AND FETA FILO PIE RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
  2. Toast the pine nuts in a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden and smelling fantastic, tossing occasionally.
  3. Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl, crumble in the feta, then grate in the Cheddar. Season with a pinch of black pepper and a couple of pinches of dried oregano.
  4. Finely grate in the lemon zest, drizzle in a little oil, then toss in the toasted pine nuts. Mix well.
  5. Melt the butter in the frying pan over a medium heat with a drizzle of oil, add half the spinach, stirring until wilted, then when there’s space, add the remaining spinach, stirring regularly until wilted.
  6. Lay a 50cm strip of greaseproof paper out on a clean work surface, rub lightly with oil and scrunch up, then flatten out again.
  7. Arrange 4 sheets of filo in a large rectangle on the greaseproof paper, overlapping at the edges, so that it’s almost covering the greaseproof.
  8. Rub the filo with a little oil, sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Repeat until you have 3 layers.
  9. Stir the wilted spinach into the egg mixture, then grate in half the nutmeg and mix well.
  10. Slide the greaseproof and filo into the empty frying pan, so that the edges spill over, then push down into the sides of the pan.
  11. Pour in the spinach mixture and spread out evenly, then fold the filo up over the filling to cover.
  12. Place the pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes, just to get the bottom cooking, then transfer to the top shelf of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Delicious served with a fresh seasonal salad.

Steps:

• Heat a spray of oil in a large pan and fry the onion and garlic for 10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the spinach and cook for 5 minutes, stirring and bubbling off any liquid. Tip into a sieve and press to remove as much excess liquid as possible. Cool.
• Beat the egg with the ricotta and nutmeg and season. Stir in the feta with the spinach and onion. Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
• Spray a 20cm loose-based cake tin with a little oil. Line it with the filo sheets, leaving any excess pastry hanging over the edge and spraying each sheet with oil. Spoon the cheese and spinach mixture into the tin. Fold the overhanging the pastry up and over the top of the pie (you can freeze the pie at this point if you like, cook it from frozen and make sure the centre is piping hot). Spray the top generously with oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes until or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Serve warm or cold.