Spinach, Herb and Feta Pie

I love all sorts of pies, but in particular anything to do with spinach, and when you combine that with plenty of herbs and feta in a filo pastry, then you have got me!

Last year I spent a few days in Sydney with my brother and his lovely wife Cheryl who made us a wonderful spinach pie … it had lots of herbs in it, and plenty of feta too, so this is my take on Cheryl’s pie (thanks so much Cheryl!).

To keep this pie really simple I have used pre-packaged baby spinach leaves, but if you have fresh spinach wash the leaves well, dry them, trim the stalks so that you are just left with the leaves, and tear these up into pieces to put into the Thermomix for chopping. Hold onto the stalks and use them in a stir-fry during the week … too good to waste.

This pie uses a lot of spinach, so I add it to the TM bowl 100g at a time, chopping each lot before adding the next 100g. You will need to use the TM spatula to help move the spinach around within the bowl, particularly when you add the last two lots of 100g. For those that are unsure of this process, place spinach in the bowl, lock lid in position, place spatula into the hole in the lid, and then set the machine to commence chopping, and as it does move the spatula around and it will help move the contents of the bowl around too.

If you don’t have buckwheat you can certainly use rice instead, but I love buckwheat (which is not related to wheat … it is in fact a seed) and like to incorporate it into dishes whenever I can. You can easily buy it raw at the supermarket in the wholefoods or organic section, and also at health food shops. I always toast some buckwheat and have it in the fridge ready to sprinkle over salads or baked veggies … it not only adds great protein but a lovely crunch too.  (NB:  is using rice I would recommend white Basmati, and cook the same weight for the same time as the buckwheat … you are “parboiling” the rice and it will finish off cooking in the oven).

I found 120g melted butter perfect for using on the pastry, but if you like more then increase this to 140g. I don’t saturate the pastry in the butter, but I do like to give it a reasonable quick coating before placing on the next sheet. This will make a difference in the final “golden” look and crispiness of the pastry … and apart from that … I love butter so prefer not to skimp on it, so I recommend that you don’t use less than 120g.

For the pastry I like to use Antoniou Filo from the deli section of the supermarket (not the frozen pastry which tends to always crumble when you try to use it after defrosting). It is important to remove it from the fridge an hour before using to get the chill off it, otherwise it can be a touch brittle to handle.

The pie is great served warm, but is equally delicious cold cut into portions for picnic sharing … a great dish for those hot summer days!

Spinach, Herb and Feta Pie

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

70 mins

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

To keep this pie really simple I have used pre-packaged baby spinach leaves, but if you have fresh spinach wash the leaves well, dry them, trim the stalks so that you are just left with the leaves, and tear these up into pieces to put into the Thermomix for chopping. Hold onto the stalks and use them in a stir-fry during the week … too good to waste.

This pie uses a lot of spinach, so I add it to the TM bowl 100g at a time, chopping each lot before adding the next 100g. You will need to use the TM spatula to help move the spinach around within the bowl, particularly when you add the last two lots of 100g. For those that are unsure of this process, place spinach in the bowl, lock lid in position, place spatula into the hole in the lid, and then set the machine to commence chopping, and as it does move the spatula around and it will help move the contents of the bowl around too.

If you don’t have buckwheat you can certainly use rice instead, but I love buckwheat (which is not related to wheat … it is in fact a seed) and like to incorporate it into dishes whenever I can. You can easily buy it raw at the supermarket in the wholefoods or organic section, and also at health food shops. I always toast some buckwheat and have it in the fridge ready to sprinkle over salads or baked veggies … it not only adds great protein but a lovely crunch too.

I found 120g melted butter perfect for using on the pastry, but if you like more then increase this to 140g. I don’t saturate the pastry in the butter, but I do like to give it a reasonable quick coating before placing on the next sheet. This will make a difference in the final “golden” look and crispiness of the pastry … and apart from that … I love butter so prefer not to skimp on it, so I recommend that you don’t use less than 120g.

For the pastry I like to use Antoniou Filo from the deli section of the supermarket (not the frozen pastry which tends to always crumble when you try to use it after defrosting). It is important to remove it from the fridge an hour before using to get the chill off it, otherwise it can be a touch brittle to handle.

Author: Gina @ The Passionate Pantry

Serves: 8 serves

Ingredients

• 200g cheddar cheese, cubed
  
  
• 200g raw buckwheat
• 900g water (for TM31, or 1 litre for TM5)
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• 20g olive oil
  
  
• 1 leek, cut into chunks
• 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
• 20g olive oil
  
  
• 6 sprigs of dill – remove any tough stems
• 20g basil leaves
• 20g mint leaves
• 500g spinach leaves, wash, trimmed, and broken into pieces
  
  
• 1 lemon, zest and juice (aim for 60g juice)
• 5 x 59g eggs
• 200g feta cheese, broken into pieces
• sea salt flakes and freshly milled pepper to taste
  
  
• 120g to 140g melted butter
• 14 sheets filo pastry – take out of fridge an hour before using
• Sprinkle of Nigella seeds or sesame seeds for topping

Instructions

1. Lightly grease a large baking dish (32cm x 20 cm) with butter, put aside
2. Place cheese into the TM bowl and chop 6 seconds / speed 8 … put aside
3. Place basket into TM bowl and weigh in the buckwheat
4. Remove basket and put into the TM bowl the water, salt and oil
5. Give basket of buckwheat a quick rinse under water, and then place basket into TM bowl
6. Cook 10 minutes / 100 / speed 4 (this will not cook buckwheat fully as it will finish off cooking when the pie is in the oven) … put aside in a large mixing bowl
7. Drain TM bowl … no need to clean it but give it a light rinse with cold water to cool it down
8. Preheat oven to 180 degrees fan forced and place rack into middle of oven
9. Add leek, garlic and olive oil to TM bowl and chop 3 seconds / speed 7
10. Scrape around bowl, cook 5 minutes / Veroma / speed 1 / MC off
11. Add fresh herbs and 100g spinach and with the aid of the spatula chop 5 seconds / speed 5
12. Repeat adding 100g spinach x 4 times (to use up the 500g), scraping around sides and chopping with the aid of the spatula 5 seconds / speed 5 until it has all been chopped (after all the spinach has been added you will need to chop a couple of extra times to get it all done)
13. Add the chopped cheese, zest and juice of the lemon, eggs, feta, and salt and pepper
14. Mix 30 seconds / interval (kneading button) using spatula to assist in mixing the ingredients
15. Add spinach mix to the bowl with the buckwheat and stir … keep aside whilst you prepare the filo
16. Melt butter, unwrap your filo pastry, place on your bench top with a lightly damp tea towel over it to stop it from drying out
17. On your bread mat (or baking paper) sit your baking dish and determine how wide you need to have your filo so that it extends all the way up the longer sides of your baking dish (this is important so that you are able to trim and roll the edge of the pastry encasing the filling properly), make a mental note of the width you need
18. Lay down the first sheet of filo, brush quickly and lightly with butter, lay the second piece on top but a little further down allowing for the extra width you need for your baking dish … continue with the third sheet back up over the first sheet, and the fourth sheet back down over the second ... continue laying in this manner using 10 sheets of filo for the base
19. Lift the 10 layers and place them into your baking dish … position it so that you have an overhang on all sides which you will trim soon
20. Make your top layer of filo next … continue as you did before brushing 4 sheets of filo with butter but this time laying them directly on top of each other
21. Pour your filling into the filo base and spread it out so that it is an even thickness
22. Place the top layer into position before trimming back the edges (I use kitchen food scissors) allowing you enough pastry to roll edges inwards (away from you) around the edges of the pie to create a nice finish
23. Do a final brush of butter over the rolled edges and lightly in the middle if you have any butter left
24. Sprinkle the top with seeds of choice
25. Using a very sharp knife, cut a thin line along the centre of the pie, and then across in three sections so that you have defined serving pieces … this will allow steam to escape during baking creating a lovely crisp crust to the pastry
26. Bake 50 minutes, turn pie around and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes until golden
27. Rest 10 minutes before cutting and serving
28. Serve with a lovely big garden salad

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