Spanakopita

 This year, as many, we started the Christmas at Little Morton Hall with a recital from Piva.  The spirit of a Tudor style festivity is much calmer than the modern day alternative.

Friends have invited us to lunch tomorrow and the idea is to pick up a feast on the way over.  Doubtful if there will be anything we want by lunchtime, we decided to make some spanakopita.  This is a Greek tart with filo pastry, green leaves and feta cheese, seasoned to suit local tastes.  This variation is a simple version.

 De-stalked baby spinach leaves, crumbled feta cheese, sweet onions, nutmeg and lemon zest are the base for the filling.

 4 sheets of filo pastry are oiled and layered for the base of the tart, four more will be needed for the top.

 Parboil the leaves and onions for 5 minutes and strain thoroughly.  Press out the excess juiced through a muslin cloth.

 Mix the ingredients in a bowl (I added a few Kalamata olives to go with the Kalamata olive oil I used on the pastry) - and spoon into the lined tart tray.  Cover with more filo pastry and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 12 minutes until brown on top (16 minutes if you are eating it immediately);

This little gem will be cooled and reheated tomorrow, hopefully to go with either a baked potato or a light salad (or both).