This is a Greek Spanakopita Pie which is mostly spinach and feta, but I have added chicken to make it more substantial as a meal. Served hot or cold - it really is delicious.
Ingredients:
500g frozen spinach, defrosted
2 chicken breasts
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 egg
150g feta cheese
few pinches nutmeg
1 pack filo pastry
25g butter, melted
Method:
Put the chicken in a pan of boiling water to poach. Cook on medium for 10 minutes, then turn the heat off, cover and leave for 15 minutes. The chicken should be just cooked. Chop and set to one side in a bowl.
Fry the onion and garlic in a little oil until cooked and put into the bowl with the chopped chicken
Squeeze the water out of the spinach with your hands first. Then put the spinach into a clean tea towel and squeeze further to get most of the water out. Chop roughly and add to the bowl of chicken. Crumble the feta cheese into the mix along with the nutmeg and egg. Mix well. This is the filling for the pie.
Set the oven to 190 C. Using a pie dish, put one piece of filo pastry half in and half out of the dish and brush with melted butter. Turn the pie dish a little and put another piece of pastry in the same way, brush with butter and continue so you have a thick layer of pastry on the bottom of the pie dish and excess pastry draped over the edges all the way around the dish. Tip the filling mix into the dish and level with the back of a spoon. Then pull the excess pastry up over the top of the pie to cover. Brush with any remaining butter.
Pop in the oven to bake for 20- 25 minutes until golden and crispy, Leave to cool for 5 minutes and serve with a salad.
