Spinach is such an organic star and is available locally all the year round, although is particularly good in spring. Easy to get hold of, relatively inexpensive and user friendly, filo is a dream product for chefs and home cooks alike. All kinds of filos are possible, but this twist on an Eastern Mediterranean classic is light, fragrant for summer and a welcome alternative to root vegetables in winter. Try serving this with a baby leaf spinach salad.
Serves 6
Equipment needed: 1x 20-25cm round flan mould/ round shallow baking dish, a pastry brush
Ingredients
300gm fresh spinach leaf, washed and shaken dry
2 medium red onions (approximately 150-200gm) finely sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil for cooking
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon sea salt
200gm 'ready to eat' dried figs
200gm feta, crumbled finely
30gm butter, melted
30gm olive oil
5 sheets filo 25cm x 40cm
Method
Preheat oven to 175°c
In a wok on a medium heat wilt the spinach with a little olive oil in three lots, seasoning each with nutmeg and salt. NB sauté the spinach quickly so it keeps it's shape; then layer around a colander so it cooks quickly to prevent overcooking.
In a separate pan sauté the red onion in a little olive oil for 10 minutes until beginning to caramelise and turning to a rich burgundy colour. Add the figs and sauté for 2 minutes more, remove from heat.
Grease and line the flan mould with baking parchment.
Mix together the melted butter and olive oil. Gently lay out the first two pieces of filo then brush them equally with the butter and oil.
Place the first sheet into the flan mould with overlapping sides. Place the second sheet to overlap the first in a 'cross' shape. Mix together the spinach, red onion/fig and the feta. Place half of this 'mix' on top of the filo.
Brush the next 2 sheets with olive oil and butter and layer into the flan mould in the same pattern as before. Lay on the remaining spinach/feta 'mix'.
Brush the final piece of filo with butter and oil and place over the top. Gently fold in the excess edges of the filo to envelop the mix completely.
Bake at 175˚C for 25 minutes or until golden and crisp all over.
