Ingredients
- 1 kg (2 lb) English spinach
- ¼ cup (60 ml/2 fl oz) olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 10 spring onions, chopped
- ⅓ cup (20 g/⅔ oz) chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- large pinch of ground nutmeg
- ⅓ cup (35 g/1¼ oz) freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 cup (150 g/4¾ oz) crumbled feta cheese
- ⅓ cup (90 g/3 oz) ricotta cheese
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 30 g (1 oz) butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, extra
- 12 sheets filo pastry
Method
1. Trim any coarse stems from the spinach. Wash the leaves thoroughly and shake off the excess water. Roughly chop the spinach and place it in a large pan. Cover and cook gently over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the leaves have wilted. (The spinach will gently steam in the water that is left on the leaves. Take care to ensure that the leaves don't catch on the base of the pan and burn.) Drain well and allow the spinach to cool slightly before squeezing it tightly to remove the excess water.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Add the onion and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, or until it is very tender and golden. Add the spring onion and cook for a further 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the drained spinach, parsley, dill, nutmeg, Parmesan, feta, ricotta and egg. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat the oven to moderate 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Combine the melted butter with the extra oil and use it to grease a 30 × 18 cm (12 × 7 inch) baking dish. Lay 4 sheets of filo pastry on top of one another, brushing between each sheet with a little of the oil mixture. Place the layered pastry lengthways in the baking dish. Spread with half of the spinach and cheese mixture. Top with another 4 sheets of the layered filo pastry. Spread with the remaining cheese and spinach mixture and top with the last 4 layered pastry sheets, tucking the pastry into the sides of the dish. Brush the top with any of the remaining oil and butter mixture. Score the top of the pastry into diamonds with a sharp knife. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Cut into pieces and serve warm.
