Spanakopita – Greek Spinach and Feta Pie

Recipe courtesy of Clarence Court

This classic Greek dish features a soothing, subtly flavoured filling of spinach, feta and ricotta, encased in perfectly crisp golden filo pastry. Perfect served with Greek salad as a main meal, or on its own as a satisfying snack.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 medium sized onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, grated

1kg spinach

2 Clarence Court Burford Brown eggs

275g feta cheese

100g ricotta cheese

Salt and pepper

8 sheets of filo pastry

Method:

Heat an AGA saucepan on the simmering plate, add a glug of olive oil and sauté the onion. After about five minutes, add the garlic to the pan and stir for a moment or two. Stir in the spinach and cook until it darkens and becomes limp. Remove the pan from heat and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, mix the eggs with the feta and ricotta in a separate bowl. Once the spinach and onion mixture has cooled, squeeze it with your hands, and then pat it dry with kitchen roll until little or no moisture remains. Add this to the bowl with the eggs and cheese, mix together thoroughly. Season well.

Brush four sheets of filo with olive oil, and layer them on a baking tray to make the base of your pie. (Don’t worry if it overhangs, you’ll tuck it in later.) Place the spinach and cheese mixture onto the filo and spread around evenly. Brush the remaining four sheets of filo with olive oil and use them to top your pie, pressing the edges of the top and bottom layers together to seal in the filling. Brush with olive oil.

3, 4 and 5 oven AGA:  Cook in the baking oven for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown, either on the oven grid shelf set on the oven floor or in the centre.

2 oven AGA:  Place the baking tray on the oven grid shelf set on the floor of the roasting oven with the cold plain shelf above, second runners down.  Cook for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Serve just warm (not hot!), either on its own as a snack, or with a Greek salad.

Conventional cooking: Preheat the oven to 180C.  Cook the onion, garlic and spinach in a saucepan on a medium heat hob. Cook the pie for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.