Joie Patisserie: Spanakopita

I've never really been a Gordon Ramsay fan. I wasn't big on his bad language and confrontational style as portrayed on all the promotional commercials and trailers for shows he has been on in the past as I'm sure many people aren't. Then I started watching Masterchef USA and slowly he grew on me. He is always very quick to praise when someone does a good job and the way with which he encourages people is unbelievable and you'll never see that side of him in any commercial or trailer for his shows. Needless to say, I went out and bought one of his beautiful cookbooks - Gordon Ramsay's World Kitchen. About a month ago I made Gordon's Spanakopita recipe and it was super delish!

Gordon's note about this recipe is as follows: "This spinach and feta pie is probably the most popular of all Greek pies, which are everyday fare in Greece and typically eaten as substantial snacks. I prefer to serve this scrumptious pie as a main course, or a a side dish to roast lamb."

Spanakopita

Recipe from Gordon Ramsay's World Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 large sweet onions, peeled and minced

sea salt and black pepper

1 lb spinach leaves, washed and drained

nutmeg, to grate

9 oz feta, crumbled

2 large eggs

generous 1/3 cup heavy cream

scant 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

scant 1/2 cup butter, melted (you definitely won't need all of it)

14 sheets phyllo pastry

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the onions with a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 6-8 minutes until soft but not colored. Transfer to a large bowl.

Wilt the spinach leaves in several batches: stir them in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until just wilted, then tip into a colander. Press down on the spinac with the back of a ladle to squeeze out as much excess water as possible. Allow to cool slightly, then chop roughly.

Add the spinach to the onion and grate over a little nutmeg. Add the feta, eggs, and cream. Season with a generous grinding of pepper and just a small pinch of salt - as the feta is salty. Finally, stir in the pine nuts. Chill until ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Brush the base of a large ovenproof dish with a little of the melted butter. Now layer 10 sheets of phyllo pastry in the dish, brushing each layer with butter and allowing any excess pastry to overhang the sides. Spoon the spinach and feta mix over the pastry sheets and then fold any overhanging phyllo over the filling. Layer the remaining phylo sheets on top, buttering generously and scrunching for an attractive finish.

Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes until the top of the pie is golden and the filling is set. To check, insert a small knife into the center of the pie - the filling should not look too runny.