Spanakopita

I think this was the lunch we ate most this summer - and definitely the lunch we made most when hosting visitors. I used to bite off more than I could chew when having people over for lunch and  dinner in the past, but these days I like to feel organised and relaxed when having guests. So it helps big time to know recipes by heart. Spanakopita is one of those recipes that has been added to my ‘by heart’ repertoire this summer. It is is typically made with spinach but we’ve been using kale as a replacement since we’ve had such an abundance of it growing in the garden over the last few months. And thanks to Liam’s mother’s two hens, Jen and Laya, we’ve had access to great eggs. This recipe makes enough for four decent portions or five slightly smaller slices. 

Ingredients:

1 roll of puff pastry

1 onion 

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 handfuls of kale (or 3 handfuls of spinach)

3 eggs 

200g feta 

zest of 1/2 lemon

salt

black pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C. 

Finely chop the onion and sauté on a pan with salt and a generous glug of olive oil until very soft and translucent (about 10 mins). Add the minced garlic and cook for a further few minutes. Remove from the pan and place in a large mixing bowl. 

Slice the washed and dried kale finely and toss in the pan with some olive oil, salt and black pepper. Cook for about 5 mins, until it was softened and reduced in size. When slightly cooled, squeeze out any excess water and add to the mixing bowl. 

Next, crumble in the feta and lemon zest into the bowl. 

Finally season the eggs with salt and pepper, and lightly whisk them. Reserve a small amount to glaze the pastry with, and add the rest to the mixing bowl.Combine all ingredients.

Place some parchment on a baking tray. Roll out the puff pastry on it and fill the bottom half of it with the spanakopita mix. Fold it in half and using a fork, seal around all the edges to keep the mixture in and prick along the top of the pastry to allow some air to release when baking. Finally brush the pastry with the reserved egg mix and bake for 20 mins. 

Allow the spanakopita to cool for about 10 mins before cutting and serving with a fresh garden salad and some pickle.