Silverbeet & Kale Spanakopitas
SERVES 6 PREPARATION & COOKING 1 HOUR, 45 MINUTES
1.5kg silverbeet 350g green curly kale 400g feta, crumbled 10 spring onions, finely chopped ½ cup fresh dill, finely chopped ¾ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley,
finely chopped 2 teaspoons lemon rind, finely grated ¼ cup lemon juice 3 eggs, lightly beaten 80g butter, melted 2 x 375g packets fresh
filo pastry 2 teaspoons sesame seeds lemon wedges, Greek-style yoghurt
to serve
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 2. Trim 4cm off stalk ends of silverbeet and kale, then discard. Rinse and drain greens, leaving some water clinging. Tear kale leaves from the centre stem. Cut white stalk from silverbeet leaves, cutting into the leaf in a V-shape. Finely chop stems and leaves from greens, keeping them separate.
3. Heat a large heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Cook stems, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until softened. Drain well and transfer to a bowl. Add chopped leaves to pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until wilted. Drain well and add to bowl with stems. When cool enough to handle, squeeze excess water from greens mixture (this prevents the pies from becoming soggy).
4. Combine greens, feta, onion, herbs, lemon rind, juice and eggs in a large bowl. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
5. Butter 6 x 2-cup, 18cm-round, 3cm-deep pie dishes. With melted butter, brush over half a sheet of pastry, then fold in half to make a smaller rectangle. Butter top. Place in dish, allowing pastry to overhang edge. Keep remaining sheets covered with baking paper topped with a clean, damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out. Repeat with two more sheets of pastry, stacking them in the dish. You will now have six layers. Place a sixth of the filling into the dish. Brush half a sheet of pastry with melted butter, fold in half crossways, brush with butter, fold in half again. Trim to fit top of pie. Place over filling, then fold in and scrunch the overhanging pastry. Brush top of pie with a little more melted butter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Repeat to make six pies in total.
6. Sprinkle a little water over each pie (this will prevent the pastry from burning). Bake for 35 minutes or until golden. Serve spanakopitas with lemon wedges and yoghurt.