Greek cuisine · Dough, Pasta & Rice

Hortopita

Wild greens pie of spinach, leek, dill and fennel fronds, baked crisp and golden in phyllo pastry.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 400 g phyllo pastry
• 1 kg spinach
• 1 leek
• 1 bunch fennel fronds
• 1 bunch dill
• 4 spring onions
• 200 g feta
• 2 eggs
• 120 ml olive oil
• 1 tbsp durum semolina
• 1 lemon
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Wash the spinach, chop coarsely, mix with 1 tsp salt and let stand for 15 min., then squeeze out very firmly in batches — excess water makes the base soggy.
2. Cut the leek and spring onions into fine rings, finely chop the fennel fronds and dill.
3. Heat 4 tbsp olive oil and sauté the leek with the spring onions over medium heat for 6–7 min. until they collapse, then let cool.
4. Mix the spinach, leek mixture, herbs, crumbled feta, the eggs and the juice of half a lemon, season generously with pepper and only carefully add salt — the feta already salts it.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C top/bottom heat, oil a 30 cm dish, lay in half the phyllo sheets one by one and brush each with olive oil; sprinkle the semolina on the top sheet.
6. Add the filling, cover with the remaining oiled sheets, roll in the edges, score the surface into squares, sprinkle with water and bake for 50–55 min. until golden brown and crisp; serve lukewarm.