Spanakopita

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp of olive oil 

350g spinach OR a bunch of silver beet 

3 spring onions, white and green parts sliced

1 cup of crumbled feta cheese (typically a square)

3 eggs

3 tbsp ricotta cheese

½ cup finely grated Parmesan 

¼ cup finely chopped dill

1 pack of filo pastry, or made your own pastry with the recipe below

Spanakopita Pastry (Optional, you may also use store-bought filo pastry)

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus ½ cup more for dusting

5 tsp olive oil

1 tbsp fine salt

2 tsp white wine vinegar or plain white vinegar

¾ cups warm water (just above Lukewarm but not hot)

1 cup butter, melted, plus more if needed

Method

To make the filling, in a large pan heat olive oil over medium heat and add the spring onions and spinach and cook tossing and stirring until wilted. This shuld only take 4 minutes. Set aside to cool. Once cool add dill, feta, ricotta, eggs and Parmesan cheese to the spinach mixture and combine, season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

If making the pastry, in a medium mixing bowl add flour. Make a well in the center and add olive oil and salt, white wine vinegar and warm water. Mix until a rough dough starts to come together. Then empty it out onto a lightly floured work surface OR do all of this in a stand up mixer with dough hook attachement.

Knead until dough is smooth, using just enough flour to keep it from sticking to the work surface or your hands. Continue to knead until dough is supple and elastic, about 5 minutes. Wrap dough ball in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature, ½ hour is fine. If you’re making the day before you can keep it in the fridge for up to two days.

Unwrap the dough and place on clean working surface. Roll it into a log trying to keep it as even as possible in thickness from one end to the other. Cut log into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Place on plate and cover with plastic wrap to prevent dough balls from drying out while you begin to roll them out.

Mix cornstarch with a 1/2 cup of flour for dusting while you roll out your balls. Dust a work surface and the first dough ball lightly with the cornstarch/flour mixture. Flatten out the dough ball with your fingers and then roll it out with a rolling pin into a flat disc/circle, about 5 inches in diameter (an entree plate size). Set circle this dough round to one side. Then repeat with the rest of the dough balls. Try to keep the circles as close to the same size and shape as possible.

Melt butter and place in a small bowl and allow to cool.

Place one of the circles of dough onto plate and using a pastry brush, generously brush dough with the melted butter. Repeat with the other 4 dough rounds layering them on top of each other. Butter, dough, butter, dough and so forth. DO NOT brush the top of the last dough round. Place plate in fridge to chill while you do the same for the remaining 3 on a separate plate then chill that stack too while you finish making filling.

To assemble the Spanakopita, preheat oven to 175°C. Prepare a 10-12 inch skillet or baking pan by brushing the bottom and sides of the pan generously with the butter.

If using your own pastry, take the 5 layer dough stack out of the fridge. Peel it off the plate and place on working surface dusted with the flour/cornstarch mixture. With a rolling pin roll it out, dusting with flour lightly if needed and peeling it off the work surface to dust if needed so that it’s not sticking to surface. Roll out nice and thin - a thin as possible until you have rolled it out 2-3 inches beyond the size of the pan. Pick dough up by rolling it onto your rolling pin. Then roll it onto the prepared baking pan or skillet. Then use your hands to place it in pan evenly with excess filo hanging over the edge of pan. Drizzle top of dough with butter mixture.

If using store-bought filo pastry, brush the pastry with melted butter and layer it over the baking pan. Repeat until half of the pack has been used.

Spoon filling onto the dough/pastry in pan and smooth out evenly.

Take out the remaining 3 layers of dough and roll out the same way and the same width as the last. Unravel those last 3 layers of dough (or remaining half pack of the filo pastry) over the pan then use your hands to tuck it into pan over filling.

Roll up the overhanging portion from the base layer working your way around the entire pan. Brush the edges with butter then drizzle the top of it generously with it. The top of the dough with a sharp knife portioning it out into slices. Then spritz with a bit of water.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until the filo is crisp and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before cutting into pieces, serve with lemon cheeks and Greek yoghurt.