Tim says: “This healthy spinach pie is as Greek as it gets! And the good news is that it’s packed with vitamins and minerals, especially iron from the spinach. Eat it as a snack, with salad as a light meal or take a slice to work as a packed lunch.”

Serves 6

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1.5kg/3lb spinach, washed and trimmed
2 bunches of spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small bunch of dill, finely chopped
300g/10oz feta crumbled
100g/3 ½ oz (1 cup) grated Kefalotyri or Graviera cheese
Grated zest of 1 lemon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 medium free-range eggs, beaten
300g/10oz pack (or 12 sheets) filo (phyllo) pastry
Freshly grated black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375F/ gas mark 5. Lightly brush a deep 30x20cm/12x8in ovenproof dish or baking pan with olive oil.

Put the damp spinach leaves into a large saucepan. Cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan a few times, until the spinach wilts. Drain in a colander, pressing down hard with a small plate or saucer to extract all the excess water. Put the strained spinach between 2 large pieces of kitchen paper (paper towels) and press down lightly. When cool, chop coarsely.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan (skillet) and cook the spring onions and garlic for 4-5 minutes, or until tender. Remove and cool.

Put the spinach, spring onions, garlic, dill and cheeses in a bowl. Stir in the lemon zest, nutmeg and beaten eggs. Season with pepper – don’t add any salt as the feta is salty

Place a sheet of filo pastry in the oiled dish and brush lightly with olive oil. Add 5 more sheets, brushing in between in the same way, so you end up with 6 layers

Spread the spinach mixture over the pastry and level the top. Cover with a sheet of filo pastry, brushing it lightly with oil, and then add the remaining 5 sheets in the same way.

Brush the top of the pie with oil, then bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven and stand for a few minutes betfore cutting into squares or slices. Serve lukewarm or cold.

Variations

Use grated Parmesan if you can’t find any hard Greek cheese for grating.
Cook a sliced leek with the spring onions and garlic.

Tip:
While you assemble the pie, make sure you cover the pack of filo pastry with a clean damp cloth to prevent it drying out and cracking.

The Athenian: Eat Like a Greek by Tim Vasilakis (£14.99, Ebury Publishing) is out now

Eat Like A Greek: 3 vegetarian-friendly recipes by The Athenian restaurant