Joe Woodhouse could happily eat this pie dish every week!
This recipes takes inspiration from spanakopita, which is classic, savoury Greek pie dish made from filo pastry and filled with spinach and creamy feta cheese. It’s the perfect dish that the whole family is happy to eat at any time of the year.
Joe adds sesame seeds to the dough to create an irresistible crunch, but you can also include toasted nuts to the filling, such as pine nuts or pistachios.
Here is how to make the spinach pie…
- Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook for 10–12 minutes until soft and starting to colour. They still want to have texture but be at that stage when they go sweet and soft. Add to a large mixing bowl with the rest of the filling ingredients except the spinach.
- In the same pan if it is big enough, add the spinach a couple of handfuls at a time and stir to wilt. Repeat until all the spinach is wilted. Remove to a sieve over a bowl and press out as much liquid as you can. Removing and draining in batches is also fine –whatever makes it most manageable.
- Preheat the oven to 180C (350F), Gas Mark 4.
- Roughly chop through the spinach and add to the rest of the filling. Mix well, taste for seasoning and add more Maldon Salt and black pepper as needed.
- Brush your baking tin with butter. Add a sheet of filo and brush with butter. Repeat this for four more sheets. Then add the filling. Fold the overhanging filo sheets over the filling. Then brush the final two sheets with butter and lay on top of each other. Trim these fit the tin exactly. Put the trimmings in the middle of the tin to cover any exposed filling. Lay the final sheets on top. Score the top into six sections. Add the sesame seeds in an even layer. Bake for 45–55minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 –15 minutes before serving.
