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Filo Parcels with Spinach, Feta and Pine Nuts

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Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.

For the filling, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan. Slice the onion finely, then gently fry for about 5 minutes over a medium heat, stirring now and then, until lightly browned and softened, then put on a plate to cool.

Add the spinach to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring, until it wilts. Place it in a colander set over a bowl to drain and cool slightly. Discard any liquid that comes out and roughly chop the spinach.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan on a medium heat, for about 2 minutes until toasted, tossing them about as they start to brown. Tip into a bowl to stop them cooking any more from the residual heat from the pan.

Lightly beat the eggs. Crumble the feta into a large bowl, add the eggs and mix together well. Add the spinach, onions, toasted pine nuts and raisins. Mix together, then sprinkle on the nutmeg and season to your taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper (you may find you don’t need salt as the feta can be quite salty).

Cut each sheet of filo into 4 squares / rectangles. Cover the filo sheets with a couple of sheets of clean damp kitchen paper to stop them from drying out. Brush one of the squares with some of the olive oil, using a pastry brush. Repeat with 2 more squares of filo, brushing each one with oil, and placing one on top of the other. Place 1/6 of the filling into the centre and fold in the sides to form a parcel. Brush oil on the last small piece of filo, scrunch it up a little and place on the top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the filo pastry crust is a deep golden-brown. Serve hot or cold.

Tips

To make one large pie: Place a sheet of filo pastry on the baking sheet and brush with some of the olive oil. Repeat with 3 more sheets of filo, brushing each one with oil. Spoon the filling onto the filo pastry base, leaving a border around the edge of about 4cm. Fold the four edges of the pastry in towards the middle to enclose the filling. Trim the remaining sheets of filo pastry to the size of pie. Brush each on with oil, as before and layer each one on top to make a lid. Brush the top layer of filo pastry with the last of the oil. Lightly score the top of the pie with a sharp knife, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for about 40 minutes.

I also sometimes make individual pies in ramekin dishes: Cut the filo into strips roughly the same width as the diameter of the dish. Take a strip, brush it with oil, then lay it in one of the dishes with the excess hanging equally over either side. Do the same with a second strip, but lay it across the first, in a cross shape. Repeat until you have used up the first sheet of filo, then repeat the process with the other sheets of filo and the other dishes.
Spoon in the filling, then fold over the excess filo to cover the tops. Brush with the remaining oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for about 20 minutes. To turn them out, run a knife about the edge and tip out, but use a cloth as the pots will be really hot. If you are serving them cold, leave to cool before doing this.