Spanakopita Slab

• 1 kgfrozen chopped spinach, fully defrosted before starting
• 300 gvegetarian-labelled feta, crumbled
• 250 gvegetarian-labelled ricotta
• 3large eggs
• 8spring onions, about 120 g total, finely sliced
• 30 gfresh dill, finely chopped
• 20 gflat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 gfinely grated lemon zest
• ¼ tspfreshly grated nutmeg
• black pepper, generous
• sea salt, to taste (go light; feta is salty)
• 500 gfilo pastry (1 standard pack), at room temperature
• 175 gunsalted butter, 5 g reserved for greasing
• 5 tbspolive oil, divided
• 1 tbspsesame seeds, for the top
• 1 tspnigella seeds, for the top

Method

1. 1Defrost the spinach completely, then squeeze it out in batches in a clean tea towel. Squeeze hard. You want it almost dry. Wet spinach means a soggy slab, and there's no recovering from that. You should end up with roughly 500g of tightly packed squeezed spinach from the kilo you started with.
2. 2Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Brush a large baking tray (roughly 30x40cm with a 4–5cm lip) with the reserved 5 g melted butter.
3. 3Melt the remaining 170 g butter and stir in 3 tbsp olive oil. Keep the remaining 2 tbsp oil for the filling.
4. 4Tip the squeezed spinach into a large bowl and break it up with your fingers so there are no compressed clumps. Add the crumbled feta, ricotta, eggs, spring onions, dill, parsley, lemon zest, nutmeg, 2 tbsp olive oil and a heavy crack of black pepper. Season lightly, then mix thoroughly. Do not taste the filling once the raw eggs have been added.
5. 5Unroll the filo and keep it under a slightly damp tea towel while you work. Filo dries to brittle confetti within minutes of being exposed to air; this is the single most common spanakopita disaster.
6. 6Lay the first sheet into the tray, letting any excess drape over the sides. Brush generously with the butter-oil mix, right to the edges. Repeat with half the filo sheets; usually 8 to 10; buttering between each one. Don't be precious about tears or wrinkles; the layered crinkles are what give spanakopita its shatter and character.
7. 7Spread the filling evenly across the buttered base, right into the corners, and level the top with the back of a spoon.
8. 8Layer the remaining filo sheets on top, buttering between every single one. The butter between layers is what creates the crisp; skip a sheet and you get a doughy band running through the middle of the slab.
9. 9Tuck the overhanging edges down the sides and into the tray to seal the filling in. Brush the top generously with the last of the butter-oil.
10. 10Use a sharp serrated knife to score the top into squares or diamonds through only the upper filo layers; do not cut into the filling. Scoring now lets steam escape cleanly and means you can cut neat squares once it's cooled without the top shattering everywhere.
11. 11Scatter the sesame and nigella seeds over the top and flick a few drops of water across the surface; the water turns to steam in the oven and helps the top crisp evenly rather than browning in patches. Finish with a small pinch of flaky salt over the seeds.
12. 12Bake for 45–55 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the slab feels firm and sounds hollow when tapped in the centre. If it's browning too fast at the 30-minute mark, drop the heat to 170°C fan.
13. 13Cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes before cutting so the filling can set and the layers hold together.
14. 14Cut down through the scored lines with a serrated knife in a long sawing motion, and lift the squares out with a palette knife. Pile the squares onto a platter and serve warm or at room temperature, while the filo is still crisp.

Per serving

kcal

651

protein

20.8g

fibre

5g

carbs

44.5g

fat

44.6g