Lamb spanakopita

Spanakopita is traditionally made with filo pastry, feta and spinach. Here, we’ve added lamb, slow-cooked in stock with cinnamon. The addition makes this richly spiced, comforting pie deliciously moreish. Any leftovers can be reheated the next day, or eaten cold alongside a punchy salad. Esther

SERVES 6 PREP 40 mins

COOK 2 hrs 55 mins MORE EFFORT

2 tbsp olive oil

800g lamb neck or shoulder,

cut into chunks

500ml lamb or chicken stock 1 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, !inely sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp ground coriander 1 heaped tbsp ground cumin 1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon 500g spinach

150g feta, crumbled

½ small bunch of mint, leaves

picked and !inely chopped 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the pastry case

100g butter, melted

270g !ilo pastry

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 Heat half the oil in a casserole pot over a medium-high heat and fry the lamb for 5-7 mins, or until deep brown all over. Cover with the stock, then add the cinnamon stick and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 11/ hrs, or until

2 the lamb is tender and falling apart. 2 Heat the remaining oil and the butter in a frying pan, then fry the onions with a large pinch of salt for

15-20 mins, or until golden and sticky. Add the garlic and spices, and cook for 3 mins more. Remove the lamb from its stewing liquid (reserving the liquid), transfer to a chopping board and shred using two forks. Stir the shredded meat into the onion mixture, along with 50ml of the reserved liquid.

3 Put the spinach in a pan with 1 tbsp water, and cook for 3-4 mins, or until wilted. Wrap in a clean tea towel and squeeze out the excess liquid, or put in a fine sieve and press it out using the back of a wooden spoon. Roughly chop the spinach, then stir into the lamb and onion mixture along with the feta, mint, pine nuts and egg. Season.

4 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6, and brush a 22cm round springform cake tin with some of the melted butter. Layer four sheets of filo pastry across the tin, then brush with more melted butter. Spoon in the filling, and fold the overhanging pastry over the top. Scrunch up the remaining pastry sheets, put on top of the pie, and brush with the remaining melted butter. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake for 45-50 mins, or until golden and crisp. Will keep in the fridge for up to up to two days.

GOODTOKNOW calcium • folate • iron • 1 of 5-a-day PER SERVING 784 kcals • fat 55g • saturates 25g • carbs 29g • sugars 3g • !ibre 4g • protein 41g • salt 1.7g