Spanakopita | Spinach Pie - The most famous Greek Pie

Prep. Time: 45 minutes  Cook time: 1 hour   Serves: 8

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Ingredients

For the filling: :1 kg spinach, thoroughly washed and roughly chopped 

2 leeks, finely chopped

3 scallions, finely chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons dill, finely chopped

150 gr feta, crumbled

4 organic eggs, beaten

50 gr rice or tarhana

Olive oil for assembling the phyllo

Salt and pepper 

For the phyllo

8 phyllo pastry sheets 

Extra virgin olive oil  

For the  baking tray

Extra virgin olive oil

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Method

For the filling

1.Sauté the leek and scallions in the olive oil in a large saucepan until shiny, about 5 minutes; add the spinach and sauté until it loses its volume and all liquid is absorbed.

2. Cook for about 10 minutes on a medium heat, remove from the heat and add all the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and let the mixture cool. 

To assemble

1. Drizzle some olive oil in a 22cm tray. Place the first sheet of pastry in the tray, sprinkle its surface with olive oil and add the next sheet; do the same with four sheets of phyllo.  

2. Spread the filling over them, across the tray, then cover with the remaining four sheets of phyllo, sprinkling each with oil. The sheets of phyllo must be larger than your baking tray, so cut the excess off by passing your rolling pin over the tray.  

3. Join the bottom and top edges of the phyllo sheets together, coat the surface with olive oil, slash with a sharp knife into pieces, sprinkle with some water (so the phyllo doesn’t expand in the oven) and bake in a preheated oven for approximately 60 minutes at 180ºC with top and bottom heat.