spinach

Spinach, Egg and Filo Pie

~ louisehad ~ 1 Comment

img_0633.jpg

This is the dish that I made for the Borough Market cookbook club from the Honey and Co at Home book. I have made many variations of this pie before, including a rather good Jamie Oliver recipe with sundried tomatoes and lemon. However, I was drawn to this one as it looked so pretty. The ochre swirl of the eggs on the top make it look like a piece of art work and the golden, crispy pastry is just so tempting. What surprised me was the use of dried mint rather than fresh.  It really packs a flavour punch. This is a recipe that I will come back to again and again as it is just so delicious.

Ingredients

Makes a 23cm round pie for 8

70g butter

1 small packet of filo pastry

For the filling

50g butter

500g spinach

20g dill, chopped

40g (3-4) spring onions, chopped

A few springs of thyme

2 teaspoons dried mint

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

160g yoghurt

50g plain flour

8 eggs (set 4 aside for the topping)

50g pecorino

50g feta

IMG_0634

Directions

  1. Melt the butter for the filling in a large saucepan. Add the spinach and cover. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the spinach is all wilted, then remove to a colander to drain the excess liquid. Transfer to a large bowl, add the dill, spring onions, thyme, dried mint, salt, pepper and nutmeg, and mix well. Add the yoghurt, flour, four of the eggs, the pecorino and feta, and mix well to combine.
  2. Heat the oven to 200ﹾC/180ﹾC fan/gas mark 6.
  3. Melt the butter for the pastry and spread the filo sheets on the work surface. Brush the first sheet with butter and cover with another sheet. Lift these two into the round baking tin, allowing a little overhang. Repeat this process and lay another layer in the tin, slightly overlapping the first. Continue to do this until the entire tin is lined with filo, with pastry overhanging on all the edges. This will take about 4-5 double sheets.
  4. Fill the tin with the spinach mixture. Scrunch the overhanging filo pastry around the edges so that the top is not covered. Place in the oven for 10 minutes.
  5. Carefully remove the pie from the oven. With the back of a spoon, make 4 evenly placed depressions in the spinach and crack an egg into each depression. Use the tip of a sharp knife to swirl the yolk into the filling, but don’t push it in too much. Return to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes until the spinach mixture is fully set, the eggs are baked and the pastry is crisp all over.

IMG_0635

Individual Butternut Squash and Feta Pies

~ louisehad ~ 2 Comments

Butternut Squash, feta and spinach pie

The nights are still long, the weather forecast is for a cold snap and I’m looking for comfort food. These individual pies pack a punch with flavour and are full of goodness, exactly what is needed for the long January nights. The original recipe is from Tesco’s Real Food magazine and can be found here: http://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/individual-squash-and-feta-pot-pies.html

Ingredients

2 red onions, cut into wedges

1kg (2Ib) butternut squash, cut into small chunks

1 red chilli, seeded and chopped

3-4 sprigs thyme, leaves picked

2 tablespoon olive oil

200g baby spinach Seasonal ingredient

1 x 200g pack feta, crumbled

handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 x 375g pack ready-rolled puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

Butternut squash, feta, red onion pies

  • Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Put the onions, squash, chilli and thyme in a large roasting tin. Drizzle with the oil and season well. Roast for 35-40 minutes, until tender. Set aside to cool a little.
  • Fill a kettle with fresh water and boil. Put the spinach in a colander set over the sink and pour over the boiling water to wilt. Refresh under the cold tap, then squeeze out as much excess water as possible. Tip the spinach onto a board and roughly chop.
  • Add the spinach, feta and parsley to the squash mixture and toss to combine; season to taste. Divide the mixture between 4 x 300ml (1/2pt) pie dishes, adding 1 tbsp of water to each. Unroll the pastry and cut out 4 lids, one to fit each pie dish; set aside. Press the pastry trimmings round the rim of each dish and brush with beaten egg. Top each pie with a pastry lid, crimp to seal, and brush all over with the beaten egg. Make a small steam hole in the centre of each.
  • Arrange the pies on a baking tray and cook for 25-30 minutes, until puffed and golden. Serve immediately.

Butternut squash individual pies