I went for the Feta and Spinach Filo Pie with salads, I skipped the coated ice cream dessert as I was making Nigella's red velvet cupcakes. Once I figured out what I was doing with the filo pastry it was really simple and delicious, there was enough to feed six people so we had the rest the next day, and ate huge portions.
The stodginess of the cheesy, almost quiche-like pie was great with the flavours of the salad which were really clean and fresh. Mat is not a massive fan of cucumber and did not seem too enthused about the side salads but we were both pleasantly surprised, so much so I made another fresh batch the next day to go with the leftovers - the yellow tomatoes were amazing.
Feta and Spinach Filo Pie
Ingredients:
For
the spinach and feta pie
• 100g
pinenuts
• 5
eggs
• 300g
feta cheese
• 50g
cheddar cheese
• Dried
oregano (I used some fresh from my herb garden)
• 1
lemon
• A
knob of butter
• 400g
prewashed baby spinach
• 1
x 270g pack of filo pastry
• Cayenne
pepper
• 1
whole nutmeg, for grating
For
the cucumber
salad
• 1
cucumber
• 10
black olives
• 2
tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3
spring onions
• 1/2
a lemon
• 1/2
a fresh red chilli
• 5
or 6 sprigs of fresh mint
For
the tomato salad
• A
small bunch of fresh basil
• 1
clove of garlic
• White
wine vinegar
• 300g
mixed cherry
tomatoes
• A
small bunch of fresh Greek basil (optional)
For
the seasonings
• Olive
oil
• Extra
virgin olive oil
• Sea
salt and black pepper
Method:
To
start:
Get all your ingredients and equipment ready. Turn the oven on to
200°C/400°F/gas 6.Put a medium (approx. 26cm diameter) ovenproof frying pan on a
medium heat.
Spinach
and feta pie:
Put the pinenuts into the dry ovenproof frying pan to toast,
tossing occasionally. Keep an eye on them. Crack 5 eggs into a mixing bowl and
crumble in 300g of feta. Grate in 50g of Cheddar. Add a pinch of pepper, a
couple of pinches of dried oregano, zest of 1 lemon and a lug of olive oil.
Once the nuts are light golden, add them to the egg mixture and mix well.
Put
the empty frying pan back on the heat, add a little olive oil and a knob of
butter and pile in half of the spinach. Gently push and move it around and add
more as it wilts down. Make sure it doesn't catch on the bottom and when
there's room, start adding the rest, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile,
take the pastry out of the fridge. Lay a large sheet of greaseproof paper,
approximately 50cm long, on the worktop, rub a little olive oil all over it,
then scrunch it up and lay it out flat again. Arrange 4 filo pastry sheets in a
large rectangle, overlapping at the edges, so they almost cover the paper. Rub
some olive oil over them. Sprinkle over a good pinch of salt & pepper and a
pinch of cayenne. Repeat until you have 3 layers. Don't worry about any cracked
bits. Remember to keep stirring the spinach.
Once
the spinach is really nice and dense, take the pan off the heat. Add the wilted
spinach to the egg mixture and grate in ½ a nutmeg. Mix well. Carefully move
the greaseproof paper and filo into the empty frying pan so the edges spill
over. Push it down into the sides of the pan, then pour in the egg mixture and
spread it out. Fold the filo sheets over the top and let them fall where they
will. Put the pan back on a medium heat for a couple of
minutes to get the bottom cooking, then put the pan into the oven on the top
shelf to cook for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp.
Cucumber
salad:
Run a fork down the length of the cucumber all around it, then halve and
quarter it lengthways and cut the quarters across into 1cm chunks. Put them
into a mixing bowl and set aside. Drain 10 black olives, squeeze out their
stones, and tear them into another bowl. Pour over 2 tablespoons of balsamic
vinegar and push down on the olives so the vinegar starts pulling out their
saltiness. Trim and finely slice the spring onions, then add to the olives.
Drizzle
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of ½ a lemon into the
olive mixture and stir really well. Deseed and finely slice ½ a red chilli and
add to the bowl of cucumber. Pick the leaves from the sprigs of mint, finely
slice them and add to the cucumber. Pour over the dressing, toss quickly,
drizzle over a little more extra virgin olive oil and take to the table.
Spinach
and feta pie: Check on the pie and take out if done (I left ours in for a extra few minutes more than Jamie recommended.)
Tomato
salad:
Quickly rinse out the liquidizer. Rip the top off the bunch of basil,
reserving a few of the smaller leaves, and put into the liquidizer with a pinch
of salt & pepper, a peeled clove of garlic, a couple of good lugs of extra
virgin olive oil and a splash of white wine vinegar. Whiz until you have a dark
green oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Halve or quarter the
tomatoes. Pour this dressing over a platter and sit the tomatoes on top. Scatter
over some Greek basil leaves or smaller basil leaves and a pinch or two of
salt, then take to the table and toss right before serving.
To
serve:
Take the pie to the
table with your beautiful salads and divide up between your guests.
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