Greek Cheese, Spinach and Ham Greek Pie

At Christmas time there is always plenty of leftover cheese that needs using up. For a vegetarian alternative replace the cooked ham with 225g sliced brown cap mushrooms which have been fried in butter until golden. Allow to cool before mixing with the cheese. This pie is also delicious served with a homemade tomato sauce

By Caroline Marson

Cookery advisor All recipes by Caroline Marson

Ingredients show imperial units

Prep time: 30 min
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves 6 -8

75g butter

Butter

Unsalted is better for cooking.

Easy spread butter is ideal for sandwiches and toast.
200g onions, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
4 tablespoons crème fraiche
Crème fraiche

The French version of soured cream, it’s twice as rich, and thicker than the British version of sour cream.
- It can be used to lace soups, sauces and stews or it can be spooned over puddings and stirred into sweet dishes. Great for adding to leftovers, as it is quite rich and can withstand being heated.
- Plain full-fat yoghurt can be used instead of crème fraîche in cooking as long as you heat it gently – adding a little cornflour, which can help to prevent it from separating.
- The best crème fraîche comes from a strictly controlled area of Normandy called Isigny-sur-Mer and it’s sold in larger supermarkets in the UK.
175g filo pastry

Pastry

Ready rolled puff or shortcrust

Ideal for quick pies
450g frozen leaf spinach, defrosted
Salt

Salt

Consider tablesalt, sea salt or crystals.

Sea salt’s pronounced and salty flavour means less is required to season food.
Ground black pepper
Black peppercorns

Best used as a condiment.
They can be lightly crushed and used to spice up a creamy sauce or to coat fillet steak or chicken breasts.
- Although it might seem odd, grinding black pepper over a bowl of strawberries enhances the flavour of the fruit.
- Pepper that is pre-ground is not fresh tasting and often has other ingredients mixed in.
- Choose the type of mill that suits you, and if you want coarser pepper you can loosen the screw on the top of the mill or crush the seeds in a pestle and mortar
1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
200g any leftover cheese, such as Feta, Stilton, Brie, Camembert, Goats cheese, Cheddar etc
175g sliced cooked ham
Beaten egg, to glaze
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Tomato and olive salad to serve

Instructions

Heat half the butter in a large frying pan and cook the onions and garlic over a gently heat with the rosemary for a good 10-12 minutes or until very soft. Stir in the crème fraiche, remove from the heat and cool.
While the onions are cooking, squeeze the liquid from the spinach and stir over a low heat until it is completely dry. Roughly chop, season with salt, pepper and ground nutmeg.
Melt the remaining butter and lightly grease a 23 cm base measurement, 3cm deep loose based flat tin. Line with sheets of filo pastry, brushing with butter between the layers and overlapping them in a random manner. There should be no gaps in the pastry and the excess pastry should hang over the sides of the tin. (Remember to keep the filo covered with cling film whilst lining the tin, as filo dries out very quickly once exposed to the air and then becomes difficult to work with.)
Lay across the bottom of the pastry the sliced ham. Spoon in the cooled spinach, top with the onions, then the crumbled cheese. Wrap over the pastry to enclose the filling. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Put a baking sheet in the oven to heat up. Place the pie on top and cook at 190°C (375°F) mark 5 for about 45 minutes, cover lightly with foil after about 20 minutes so it doesn’t over brown. Cool for 10 minutes before turning out and serving. Serve with a tomato and olive salad.

To freeze: Wrap really well with cling film and foil at the end of step 5 and freeze for up to 3 months. To use: Thaw overnight in the fridge. Complete the recipe from step 5.

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