Spinach & Feta Ruffle Pie recipe

This recipe is from the team at NZ House & Garden magazine.

A play on spanakopita, this ruffled filo pie filled with spinach and feta is crisp, light and incredibly delicious. It can be served warm or cold and is perfect for sharing.

SPINACH & FETA RUFFLE PIE

Prep: 15-20 minutes | Cook: 35-50 minutes | Serves 6-8

Ingredients

9 sheets filo pastry

100g melted butter or olive oil

Spinach & feta filling

120g baby spinach leaves

100g feta cheese, crumbled

3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup cream

¼ cup milk

2 tbsp flat-leafed parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped

2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped

Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C fan-bake. Lay one sheet of filo pastry on a benchtop, brush with butter or oil. Place buttered side up in a greased 25cm loose-bottom tart tin, pressing the filo into the corners. Butter another filo sheet and fit into the tart tin at a 45-degree angle to the first sheet. Continue adding 4 more filo sheets in the same way. Trim overhanging pastry to neatly fit the tart tin; reserve the filo scraps.

Brush another filo sheet with butter then, starting at one long edge, fold the pastry into a concertina about 2.5cm wide. Prepare the remaining filo sheets in the same way. Loosely coil one filo strip into a spiral shape and place in the middle of the tart. Follow with remaining strips and use the scraps as well, joining them together to form a large spiral and leaving a 2cm gap between the strips. Bake for 10-15 minutes on the lowest oven shelf until crisp and golden brown. Remove to cool for 20 minutes while preparing the filling. Lower the oven to 160C fan-bake.

Spinach and feta filling: Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 1 minute to wilt. Drain and refresh in ice cold water to cool quickly; drain well. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible then finely chop the spinach and put in a large bowl. Add the feta and stir to combine. Scatter this mixture between the gaps in the pastry spiral, taking care not to break the filo.

In another bowl, beat the eggs with the cream, milk, herbs, zest and a little salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the spinach and feta to fill all the gaps. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until filling is set. Serve warm.