Spanakopita

A filo pie whose filling is wrung out in a cloth before it goes anywhere near the pastry.

Egg. Not vegetarian — contains feta whose rennet the source does not name.

Ingredients

• 1 kg spinach
• 400 g feta, crumbled
• 1 bunch dill, chopped
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 150 ml olive oil
• 1 packet filo pastry, about 400 g
• a grating of nutmeg
• black pepper

Method

1. THE FILLING IS WRUNG OUT IN A CLOTH and the quantity of water that leaves is extraordinary -- a kilo of spinach gives up the best part of a pint. Put in wet, it steams inside the pie and the bottom sheets turn to paste; there is no way to crisp a base that has been boiled from above.
2. AND THERE IS NO SALT IN THE FILLING. The feta brings a great deal and the spinach has been salted to draw its water. Seasoned again by habit, the pie is inedible and nothing can be done about it afterwards.
3. Spinach washed and wilted in a dry pan in batches, 2 minutes each, until it collapses. Tipped into a colander and cooled.
4. Gathered into a clean tea towel in handfuls and TWISTED HARD over the sink. Keep twisting after it seems done; another two tablespoons will come.
5. Chopped roughly -- squeezed spinach comes out as a dense ball and needs breaking up or the pie has green bricks in it.
6. Onion softened in 2 tablespoons of the oil, 8 minutes, and cooled.
7. Spinach, onion, spring onion, dill, feta, eggs, nutmeg and pepper mixed together. No salt.
8. A 30 cm tin brushed with oil. Filo sheets laid in one at a time, each brushed with oil, half the packet, letting them overhang the sides.
9. WORK WITH THE REST OF THE FILO UNDER A DAMP CLOTH. Exposed to air it goes brittle in about three minutes and then shatters instead of folding.
10. Filling spread level. Remaining sheets on top, each oiled, then the overhanging edges rolled inwards to seal into a rim.
11. SCORED INTO PORTIONS BEFORE BAKING, through the top layers only. Cut after baking the top shatters and the pieces come out ragged.
12. A little water flicked over the top -- it stops the top sheets curling -- then baked at 180C for 50 minutes until deep gold and crisp underneath as well as on top.
13. Rested 20 minutes before the first piece is lifted.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

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