Variations of’  ‘spanakopita’ are made all over Greece. During Lent the eggs and cheese are usually omitted and the pie is simply filled with spinach, spring onions and dill. Sometimes a little béchamel sauce is added or a mixture of semolina and cream. Sometimes the pie is simply made with spinach and cheese. On the island of Crete it is often made with ‘Mizithra’ – a kind of cottage cheese made from the whey of goat’s milk. In the villages wild mountain greens such as dandelion, sorrel or ‘vlita’ (wild amaranth) is often substituted for the spinach – in which case the pie is called ‘hortopita.’   This version   of  ‘spanakopita’ is topped with sesame seeds, which   not only  enhances the flavour, but also increases the nutritional value. Sesame seeds are very rich in protein, calcium and essential fatty acids.
Commercial filo pastry is very quick and easy to prepare – once you get the hang of it. I  prefer to use fresh filo pastry – which is available in most Middle Eastern stores and some of the better supermarkets. Frozen filo pastry needs about 2 hours to thaw out. It’s best to work with just a few sheets of pastry at a time – and keep the rest covered with a tea towel as it dries out very quickly. Don’t worry if it tears. Just put the pastry where you want it to go  and brush over lightly with olive oil. You’ll never notice the join once it is cooked. If you like you can use less pastry. I often use 3 sheets for the bottom and 4 or 5 sheets for the top.

Serves 6-8

1 kilo fresh spinach
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 spring onions, thinly sliced
a handful of fresh dill or flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
200 grams feta cheese, crumbled
3 eggs
a grating of nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper
250 grams  fresh or thawed filo pastry
about  4 tablespoons  extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons sesame seeds


Wash the spinach carefully and cook in a covered saucepan for 5 minutes or until tender. The water clinging to the leaves is sufficient to prevent scorching. Drain well and chop coarsely.
                                         
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the spring onions over a moderate heat until they are softened. Add the spinach and cook gently for 2 or 3 minutes. . Set aside to cool.

Mix the feta cheese and eggs together in a bowl. Add the spinach mixture and season with nutmeg, salt and black pepper. There is no need to add any salt as the Feta cheese is salty enough.

Brush a large shallow baking dish  with oil . Place a sheet of filo pastry over the top and sides and brush lightly with oil. Repeat  with half of the  filo pastry.  Spread the filling over the top making sure the whole surface is covered. Fold the edges of the filo pastry over the filling. Place another sheet of filo pastry over the top and brush lightly with oil. Repeat until all the filo pastry is used up. 

With a pastry brush, gently push the filo pastry down the sides to seal in the filling. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Bake in a  preheated 180 ºC/350 F/Gas 4 oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden. Serve hot or at room temperature.

From Mediterranean Vegetarian Cooking by Paola Gavin, John Blake Publishing Ltd

Buy this book now from Amazon