Herby feta filo pie recipe
Spinach seems to work well with strong, sharp cheeses, such as Stilton, goat’s cheese, or feta. Here, the classic filling is given a makeover, encased in a filo pie with herbs, and baked until crisp.
You'll need a 20cm round springform tin for this recipe.
Ingredients
For the filling- 900 g spinach, rinsed
- 100 g butter, plus extra for greasing
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 120 g roasted peppers in oil, drained and chopped
- 1 handful of basil leaves
- 3 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
- 3 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 300 g feta cheese, crumbled
- 6 sheets ready-made filo pastry, 40 x 30cm
Details
- Cuisine: English
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 30 mins
- Cooking Time: 60 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- Pack the spinach leaves into a large saucepan, cover, and cook for 8-10 minutes until just wilted. Drain well. Set aside, still draining, to cool.
- Melt 25g (scant 1oz) butter until bubbling and gently fry the onions, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the peppers and herbs, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6). Grease and line the tin.
- Blot the spinach with kitchen paper, then chop finely. Stir into the onion mixture, and season to taste. Melt the remaining butter. Brush the tin with a little melted butter and assemble the pie.
- To assemble: cover the bottom of your tin with a sheet of pastry, leaving the edges to overhang, and brush with butter. Continue with 5 more sheets, brushing each with butter. Leave the edges overhanging. Add half the filling, then feta, then filling. Put the overhanging pastry over the top, brushing with butter.
- Brush the top of the pastry with any remaining butter and place the tin on a baking tray. Bake for 35-40 minutes until crisp and golden. Be sure to leave the pie to stand for 10 minutes before carefully releasing from the tin. Serve hot or warm, cut into wedges. Good with a crisp salad or seasonal vegetables.
Recipe taken from The Pie Book by Caroline Bretherton, published by DK, £16.99, also available to download as an eBook from the iBookstore or Amazon Kindle Store.
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