Spinach & Feta Filo Pie Recipe

First, place a saucepan over a medium heat and add the pine nuts. Cook for a couple of minutes, shaking the pan regularly to stop the nuts burning, until they smell fragrant and toasted. Tip on to a saucer and set aside to cool. Preheat your oven to 200°C (Gas Mark 6) and grease a deep, rectangular baking dish or tin (roughly 20 x 30cm). Place a large saucepan over a low-medium heat and add half of the butter; let it melt, then add the onion and garlic and cook for about five minutes, or until softening and becoming translucent. Drain and dry the washed spinach leaves, then chop them roughly and add to the pan (you may need to do this in batches), cooking until just wilted. Remove the pan from the heat, pour off any liquid that may have come from the spinach, then leave to cool.

Crumble the feta into a large mixing bowl, then tip in the cooled spinach mixture. Add the chopped basil, the pine nuts and the eggs and grate in a generous amount of nutmeg. Stir well, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Next, melt the remaining half of the butter over a low heat. Take three of the filo pastry sheets and use them to line the base of the baking dish, ensuring the edges are hanging over the sides of the dish a little; brush each sheet with melted butter, particularly where they overlap. Spoon the spinach and feta mixture into the dish, spreading it out levelly into all the corners. Fold in the overhanging edges of the filo sheets, so that they lie on top of the filling, and brush with a little butter. Crumple the remaining three filo sheets and arrange them on top of the filling so that it is covered completely, and brush them with the rest of the melted butter. Scatter the nigella seeds over the top of the pie, then put it into the centre of the hot oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until crisp and golden. Take the cooked pie out of the oven and leave it to cool in its dish before cutting into four large squares and serving (if completely cooled, you can transport it in the dish and serve it up in situ).