← Nouns Cooking · Greek

Ingredients

• 1 kg fresh spinach (or 500 g frozen, thawed), washed
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 6 Spring onion, sliced
• 20 g Dill, chopped
• 10 g Mint, chopped (optional)
• 300 g Feta, crumbled
• 3 Eggs, beaten
• 1 pinch Nutmeg
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 12 sheets filo pastry (about 270 g)
• 100 g butter (or olive oil), melted

Method

1. Wilt the spinach in batches in a large dry pan over medium-high heat, 2–3 min per batch. Tip into a colander, let it cool, then squeeze out as much water as you possibly can and chop it roughly. Wet spinach means a soggy pie.
2. Heat the oil in the same pan over medium heat and cook the onion and spring onions for 8 min until soft and sweet.
3. In a big bowl, mix the spinach, onions, dill, mint, feta, eggs, nutmeg and pepper. Feta is salty, so taste before adding any salt.
4. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F). Brush a dish about 23 × 33 cm with butter. Line it with 6 sheets of filo, brushing each with butter and letting the edges hang over. Keep the waiting filo under a damp tea towel.
5. Spread in the filling, fold the overhanging edges in, then top with the remaining 6 sheets, brushing each one. Tuck the edges down the sides, butter the top and score it into portions with a sharp knife. Flick a few drops of water over the top.
6. Bake for 45–50 min until deep golden and crisp all over. Rest for 10 min before cutting along the score lines.

Tips

• Swap half the spinach for chard, leek or wild greens for a village-style hortopita.
• Leftovers re-crisp in a hot oven, never the microwave.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

RecipeTin Eats My Greek Dish