Ingredients:
- Filo pastry
- Olive oil or butter
- Equivalent of 1 generous bunch of spinach, using Brazilian spinach and Surinam spinach, (can use silverbeet and/or rainbow chard if preferred).
- 1 medium onion, chopped finely
- 1 cup firmly packed, sweet basil leaves, finely sliced
- 250g ricotta cheese
- 100g feta cheese – crumbled into small pieces
- 4 eggs – lightly beaten
- 2-3 cloves garlic – finely chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Remove stalks from spinach, slice all leaves and submerge in a bowl of boiling water.
Slice spinach stalks thinly. Add a small amount of oil to frying pan and add spinach stalks, onion, garlic and basil. Cook until spinach stalks become transparent and remove from heat.
Drain spinach and press to remove as much of the water as possible (I use a salad spinner). In a medium bowl, add cooked mixture, spinach, eggs, pepper and cheeses. Mix lightly together – do not over mix these ingredients.
Brush a baking dish with melted butter. Layer sheets of filo pastry – using a pastry brush to oil/butter every second or third layer of filo. Build your base (6-8 sheets is good). Pour mixture onto the pie base then add more sheets of filo, repeating the same process as the base until you are happy with the thickness.
Bake in oven on medium heat until golden brown – approx. 20-30 minutes.
Pie can be served hot or cold.