Spanakopita

Leek, cheese and spinach in filo pastry

Spanakopita

This dish is my version of a Greek tradition and is so yummy... One of my absolute favourites however it is best eaten straight out of the oven while the filo pastry is hot and crunchy... serve as is or with a side salad. If you are lucky enough to have left overs reheat in the oven not in a microwave.

• Remove your frozen filo pastry from the box and defrost it for a couple of hours I think its easiest to work with when its at room temperature.
• Meanwhile soft fry either lots of onion, one or two sliced large leek or a whole  bunch of spring onions in some butter along with a couple of cloves of crushed garlic and a tablespoon of chopped parsley and chopped dill... when softened drop in and wilt a large bag of baby spinach. Place in a large bowl to cool before adding the rest of the ingredients.
• When the onion/spinach mix has cooled add a 250 gram tub of ricotta and about the same quantity of crumbled feta along with 4 lightly whisked eggs... salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
• Melt 150 grams of butter and using a medium baking dish start by greasing the bottom ... use 5 sheets for the bottom buttering every second sheet allowing them to hang over the edges on all sides of the baking dish...  Add the spinach, cheese and egg mix and continue with the rest of the sheets of filo pastry still buttering every second sheet... roll the sides into the pan and finish the top and rolled edge with melted butter.
• Bake in a 180 oven until golden and crunchy all over (about 30 minutes)... enjoy on its own or with a side salad as a meal. 

A touch of indulgence would be if you added some chopped dill to the left over melted butter and warmed this through and then drizzled it over the top when serving. Yummmo!!

Crunchy, cheesy Spanakopita

There is a "fasting" or vegan, version of spanakopita, that traditionally is eaten during Lent and other religious fasts, and is composed of spinach, onions or spring onions, other green herbs like dill, parsley or celery, olive oil and a little wheat flour, but without eggs or dairy products and oven baked until crisp.