Silverbeet Spanakopita

Silverbeet Spanakopita
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Silverbeet Spanakopita

With crispy golden fillo pastry and a soft herby feta and silverbeet filling, this silverbeet and feta pie is an easy and delicious recipe for silverbeet that can be enjoyed warm or cold.

PREP TIME  : 20 minutes.

COOK TIME :25 minutes.

TOTAL TIME :45 minutes mins

CUISINE Greek, International

SERVINGS 6-8 People. Calories 165 kcal

EQUIPMENT

1 20cm x 20cm / 8 x 8 inch square baking tin

INGREDIENTS

300g (10½ oz) silverbeet or chard leaves cut in thirds, stalks cut in 1-2cm (½ – ¾ inch) pieces

1 Tablespoon fresh dill finely chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh mint finely chopped

Pinch nutmeg

3 spring onions finely sliced

1 Clove garlic crushed

2 large eggs beaten

200g (7 oz) feta cheese crumbled

6 Sheets Fillo pastry thawed if frozen

2 Tablespoons olive oil

black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Blanch the silverbeet stalks in boiling water for 2 minutes, then add the chopped leaves and cook for 1 minute. Drain and refresh under cold water.
  2. Leave the silverbeet to cool for 5 minutes, until cold enough to handle. Squeeze out the excess water (as much as you can) then roughly chop.
  3. Mix the chopped silverbeet with the finely chopped fresh dill, parsley and mint, chopped spring onion, crushed garlic and beaten eggs.
  4. Optional step: place the filling in the fridge for up to a couple of hours.
  5. Preheat the oven to 180˚C fan / 200˚C / 356˚F convection / 392˚F.
    Place a sheet of fillo pastry in a 20cm x 20cm / 8 x 8 inch baking tin, and brush with olive oil.
  6. Carefully place another sheet of filo on top and repeat with the other 3 sheets of filo, brushing each one with oil before placing the other sheet on top. Leave the edges overhanging the edge of the tin.
  7. Pour the beaten eggs, silverbeet and herbs over the pastry and sprinkle over the feta.
  8. Top with the remaining sheet of pastry and fold the edges of pastry back over the top.
  9. Brush with oil and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden and crisp.

Can serve warm or at room temperature.

Store any leftovers in the fridge.

Notes

Generally ,I'll look at a few recipes go with whatever takes my fancy.I added a sweet potato a tomato and a few broccoli which I boiled up and mashed then added assorted cheeses. Left the dill out came up really nice.

Silverbeet - or swiss chard, rainbow chard or rainbow silverbeet, or use a mixture!

Feta cheese - Greek feta cheese or Danish feta both work in this pie .Ricotta an alternative.

Fresh parsley - or see here for the best 

Fresh dill - or use fresh tarragon.

Fresh mint - you can use basil or marjoram instead if you prefer.

Filo pastry - Phyllo dough, or fillo pastry if you are in Australia. You can use frozen filo pastry, defrost before using. You can also make this pie with puff pastry.

Spring onions - scallions or green onions. You can use half a small red onion if you prefer. If you only have brown onions then a recommend you fry it in a little oil for a couple of minutes to soften. Garlic** - fresh garlic or minced garlic.

Eggs - I use large eggs which weigh approx. 60g each. Nutmeg** - this spice is optional, but I find adding a small pinch helps lift the flavours.

Olive Oil - you can use melted butter if you prefer.

Don't overcook the silverbeet - if you cook silverbeet too much it can start to taste slightly metallic and unpleasant.

To prevent the silverbeet from cooking further once you have taken it off the heat - place in a strainer or sieve and run the cold tap over ,or place in an ice bath.

Squeeze as much water from the cooked silverbeet as you can! This will help prevent having soggy pastry on the bottom of the pie.

Herbs - if you don't have one of the fresh herbs, simply leave it out or add more of the other herbs. You could also use other herbs such as fresh basil or fresh thyme.