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Thursday 2 June 2011

Feta and spinach pie with two salads


 
The highlight of this dish for me was the tomato salad. It was sooo simple but amazing. This is another Jamie Oliver 30 minute meal and all 3 components took me around an hour. I also slightly adjusted the quantities required.

Start by turning the oven on to 200C. Put a medium (approx 26cm/10½in diameter) ovenproof frying pan on a medium heat. Put the standard blade attachment in the food processor.

 
To start on the pie, crack 3 eggs into a mixing bowl and crumble in 300g  feta. Grate in the Cheddar.

 
Add a pinch of pepper, a couple of pinches of dried oregano, zest of 1 lemon and a glug of olive oil. Mix well. Put the empty frying pan back on the heat, add a little olive oil pile in half of the spinach. Gently push and move it around and add more as it wilts down. Make sure it doesn't catch on the bottom and, when there's room, start adding the rest, stirring frequently.


Meanwhile, take the pastry out of the fridge.
Lay a large sheet of greaseproof paper, approx 50cm long, on the bench, rub a little olive oil all over it, then scrunch it up and lay it out flat again. Arrange 4 filo pastry sheets in a large rectangle, overlapping at the edges, so they almost cover the paper. Rub some olive oil over them. Sprinkle over a good pinch of salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Repeat until you have 3 layers. Don't worry about any cracked bits. Remember to keep stirring the spinach.

Once the spinach is really nice and dense, take the pan off the heat. Add the wilted spinach to the egg mixture and grate in ½ a nutmeg. Mix well. Carefully move the greaseproof paper and filo into the empty frying pan so the edges spill over. Push it down into the sides of the pan, then pour in the egg mixture and spread it out. Fold the filo sheets over the top and let them fall where they will.


Put the pan back on a medium heat for about 10 minutes to get the bottom cooking, then put the pan into the oven on the top shelf to cook for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp.




CUCUMBER SALAD:  Peel the cucumber, then halve and quarter it length ways and cut the quarters across into 1cm chunks. Put them into a mixing bowl. Drain 10 black olives, squeeze out their stones, and tear them into another bowl. Pour over 2tbsp balsamic vinegar and push down on the olives, so the vinegar starts pulling out their saltiness. Trim and finely slice 3 spring onions, then add to the olives.

Drizzle 4tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of ½ a lemon into the olive mixture and stir really well.

 
Deseed and finely slice ½ a red chili and add to the bowl of cucumber. Pick the leaves from the sprigs of mint, finely slice them and add to the cucumber. Pour over the dressing, toss quickly, drizzle over a little more extra virgin olive oil and take to the table.

Now for the TOMATO SALAD. Use a hand blender, rip the top off the bunch of basil, reserving a few of the smaller leaves, and put into the blender with a pinch of salt and pepper, a peeled clove of garlic, a couple of good glugs of extra virgin olive oil and a splash of white wine vinegar. Whizz until you have a dark green oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Halve or quarter the tomatoes. Pour this dressing over a platter and sit the tomatoes on top.

To serve take the pie to the table with your beautiful salads and divide up!




For the spinach and feta pie:
  • 3 free range or organic eggs
  • 300g  feta cheese
  • 50g  cheddar cheese
  • dried oregano
  • 1 lemon
  • A knob of butter
  • 400g prewashed baby spinach
  • 1 x 270g pack of filo pastry
  • Cayenne pepper 
  • 1 whole nutmeg
For the cucumber salad:
  • 1 cucumber
  • 10 black olives
  • 2tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 3 spring onions
  • ½ lemon
  • ½ fresh red chili
  • 5 or 6 sprigs of fresh mint

For the tomato salad
  • A small bunch of fresh basil
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • White wine vinegar
  • 300g mixed cherry tomatoes 




1 comment:

  1. The salads really sound so delicious and simple, that I, probably could prepare them myself, but I am prepared to wait for Malvina herself to give me a Master class on these sallads in about 5 weeks time.

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