Greece vs Cote D'Ivoire - Greek Spanakopita - World Cup Foodies Recipe

Hello!

Greek food is one of our favorites so it was no surprise that we chose it over the other countries for this evening. Japanese would have been another option, but the planned Gyoza dumplings were just too much effort for a mid-week dinner option. This Greek Spanakopita however is a very light, veggie and easy dinner idea if you are looking for a lovely, fragrant dish which is even great the next day. This spinach pie is mostly eaten as a snack in Greece, but it definitely makes a delicious dinner with some salad on the side. I made this once before, using Jamie Oliver's recipe. This time it had no pine nuts in the pie but dill to add some flavour. Be careful not to use too much of this herb as it can easily over power the authentic feta-spinach taste. The pastry for Spanakopita is Phyllo Pastry which is very difficult to make at home - so if you aren't a master chef yet, opt for the ready made supermarket option. It's quick and works superb.

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

A handful of chopped spring onion

3 cloves of garlic

500 g of spinach (this can be frozen or fresh)

1 tbsp. parsley

2 tbsp. dill, chopped without stalks

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup ricotta cheese or quark

200 g feta cheese

Phyllo Pastry

Pepper

1/2 tbsp. nutmeg

Butter

Optional: Cheese, lemon 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oil in a pan, add onion and garlic. Cook for 1 minute, then add spinach.

2. Cook over low heat until spinach has wilted. Drain in a colander and cool, then combine with ricotta, eggs, nutmeg, salt and pepper. If you use frozen spinach just cook it makes sure you drain it a lot so that there is hardly any water left. 

3. Add the parsley and dill right at the end. If you like you can now add a bit of lemon.

4. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a baking dish with butter. Lay three sheets of filo on base and sides. Spread cheese mixture over top. Cover with remaining filo, brushing each sheet with butter. Add a little bit of cheese on top for some colour and flavour.

5. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Let it rest a little bit if you are patient enough!

Enjoy!