Spanakopita, Spinach and Feta Pie

SERVES 8

The origins of one of the most beloved dishes in Greek cooking, spanakopita, dates back more than 400 years. The region of Epirus in the north-west of Greece is where the most renowned iterations of this dish come from. You will find this dish everywhere in Greece, from cafes and restaurants to bakeries and delis. The traditional way is to make your own phyllo pastry – this is a work of love, as it takes time and care but creates a texture and taste that store-bought phyllo just cannot replicate. However, you can definitely also use store‑bought pastry in the same way if you prefer.

DOUGH

1.6 kg (2 lb 3 oz) special white flour, farina flour or

00 plain flour, plus extra for dusting

2 tablespoons extra‑virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing

750 ml (25½ fl oz/3 cups) lukewarm water

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

50 g (1¾ oz) melted butter, for greasing

FILLING

250 g (9 oz) spinach, roughly chopped

250 g (9 oz) silverbeet (Swiss chard), roughly chopped

2 tablespoons salt

10 g (¼ oz/½ cup) mint, finely chopped

15 g (½ oz/½ cup) flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped

30 g (1 oz/½ cup) dill, finely chopped

2 tablespoons extra‑virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 leek, finely chopped

1 bunch spring onions (scallions), finely chopped

250 g (9 oz) Greek feta

2 eggs, beaten

salt and pepper, to taste

GLAZE

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon cold water

TO MAKE THE DOUGH

Place the flour into a large bowl and make a well. Add olive oil, water, sugar, vinegar and salt. Mix it together with your hands or with a wooden spoon. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is soft and it bounces back when you press into it with your fingers.

Place dough into a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 2 hours. 

Meanwhile, prepare your filling.

Combine spinach, silverbeet, salt and herbs in a bowl and set aside for 2 hours (the salt will draw out the juices from the greens). 

Heat olive oil in a frying pan over a low heat and fry the onion for 2 minutes. Add leek and fry for a further 5 minutes. Add spring onion and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Squeeze the spinach, silverbeet and herb mixture well and discard the juices (do not wash). Return to the bowl, add feta and egg and mix to combine, then stir in the cooked leek and onion mixture. Season with pepper and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F) and grease a 30 cm (12 in) square baking tray with melted butter.

Turn out the dough again onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a further 1–2 minutes until the dough is smooth. Divide into 8 equal-sized balls of dough.

Roll each into the size of a small pizza and place the dough into two piles of 4 doughs each, stacked on top of each other like pancakes.

Using a rolling pin, roll each stack of dough out into the widest and longest rectangular shape that you can to cover the size of your square 30 cm (12 in) baking tray. You will need to use your fingers to pull the edges of the phyllo dough gently to stretch out its size; be careful not to tear it. Place 1 layer of phyllo into the base of the baking tray.

Pour in the spinach and silverbeet mixture and spread evenly. Trim any phyllo overhanging the edges and fold any excess phyllo inwards to be covered by the next layer of phyllo.

Now add the second layer of phyllo and again cut the edges of the phyllo hanging over the tray. Using two fingers, gently push the top layer of phyllo down to ensure the mixture doesn’t come out.

Using a sharp knife, cut the spanakopita into pieces of the size that you would like. It is critical to do this now before baking, as it will be too difficult to cut afterwards

Combine egg yolk and water to make a glaze, then brush the glaze all over the phyllo and edges.

Bake for about 1 hour, or until golden brown.

This is an edited extract from A Seat at My Table: Philoxenia by Kon Karapanagiotidis, published by Hardie Grant Books.