This spinach and feta recipe is a great vegetarian option that should suit all of the family. It doesn’t have to be vegetarian. You could add in leftover ham or chicken and it will taste great. You could also use goat’s cheese. A lot of people are growing chard these days – a lovely leafy vegetable – and you could use that instead of spinach.
Filo is a tricky pastry to make from scratch, but you can buy it in the supermarket ready to cook. This meal can be made up to a day in advance and kept covered in the fridge with clingfilm until ready to cook.
The baked aubergine with tomato and cheese is a vegetarian dish that meat lovers will enjoy. This is a great tomato sauce recipe and you will find uses for it over and over. I like it with pasta, with grilled chicken, and with fish.
Recently I had a parents and children day in the Cookery School and this recipe was a great success. Anyone can make it and then enjoy the taste.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Spinach and feta pie
Serves four to six
100g (4oz) butter
1 onion, finely chopped
4 spring onions or scallions, finely chopped
500g (1lb 2oz) spinach, tough stalks and finely shredded
225g (8oz) feta cheese
2 large eggs
50g (2oz) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, finely grated
good pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
6 sheets filo pastry, thawed if frozen
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
cherry tomato and basil salad, to serve
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark four). Melt a knob of the butter in a pan and add the onion. Sauté gently until softened but not browned. Stir in the spring onions or scallions and cook for another minute. Add the spinach a handful at a time, until it has all wilted down. Tip into a colander and press out all the excess liquid. Leave to cool.2 Crumble the feta cheese into a large bowl and lightly mash with a fork. Mix in the eggs, parmesan cheese, the spinach mixture, nutmeg and mint. Season to taste.3 Melt the rest of the butter in a small pan or in the microwave. Unroll the filo pastry and brush a 23cm (9in) round clip-sided or loose-based cake tin with melted butter. Then brushing each filo sheet lightly with the melted butter, place in the tin, buttered side down, leaving the excess to hang over the edge. Turn the tin a quarter turn after each sheet. 4 Tip the filling into the tin, fold the excess pastry onto the top, a sheet at a time to give a ruffled effect. Bake for about 45 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to settle for five minutes.5 Take the spinach and feta pie out of the tin and cut into slices. Arrange on plates with the tomato salad to serve.Baked Aubergine with Tomato & Cheese
Serves four to six
1kg (2 1/4lb) aubergines, thinly sliced lengthways
5 tbsp olive oil
400g (14oz) (2 cups) mozzarella cheese, grated
100g (4oz) (1 cup) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
For the tomato sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 x 400g (14oz) cans chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp caster sugar
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 vegetable stock cube
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
green salad and ciabatta bread, to serve
1 Place a layer of aubergine slices on a plate. Sprinkle with salt and cover with kitchen paper. Continue with another layer on top until you have used up all the aubergine slices, finishing with kitchen paper. Weigh it down using something heavy, like a pan filled with water, and leave for 30 minutes so that the aubergines can release any excess liquid.2 Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for about four minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds; be careful not to let it burn. Stir in the tomatoes with the tomato purée, sugar, cayenne pepper and stock cube. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Season to taste.3 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark four) and heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Brush each aubergine slice with a little oil, then fry, a few slices at a time, until cooked through and golden on both sides. Add a little more oil to the pan, if needed. Drain on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.4 Cover the bottom of a 30cm (12in) x 20cm (8in) baking dish with two tablespoons of the tomato sauce. Top with a layer of aubergine and lightly spread with four tablespoons of the tomato sauce. Sprinkle generously with mozzarella and parmesan. Repeat these layers until you have used all the aubergine, finishing with a layer of tomato sauce and Parmesan (no mozzarella). Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
This spinach and feta recipe is a great vegetarian option that should suit all of the family. It doesn’t have to be vegetarian. You could add in leftover ham or chicken and it will taste great. You could also use goat’s cheese. A lot of people are growing chard these days – a lovely leafy vegetable – and you could use that instead of spinach.
Filo is a tricky pastry to make from scratch, but you can buy it in the supermarket ready to cook. This meal can be made up to a day in advance and kept covered in the fridge with clingfilm until ready to cook.
The baked aubergine with tomato and cheese is a vegetarian dish that meat lovers will enjoy. This is a great tomato sauce recipe and you will find uses for it over and over. I like it with pasta, with grilled chicken, and with fish.
Recently I had a parents and children day in the Cookery School and this recipe was a great success. Anyone can make it and then enjoy the taste.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Spinach and feta pie
Serves four to six
100g (4oz) butter
1 onion, finely chopped
4 spring onions or scallions, finely chopped
500g (1lb 2oz) spinach, tough stalks and finely shredded
225g (8oz) feta cheese
2 large eggs
50g (2oz) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, finely grated
good pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
6 sheets filo pastry, thawed if frozen
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
cherry tomato and basil salad, to serve
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark four). Melt a knob of the butter in a pan and add the onion. Sauté gently until softened but not browned. Stir in the spring onions or scallions and cook for another minute. Add the spinach a handful at a time, until it has all wilted down. Tip into a colander and press out all the excess liquid. Leave to cool.2 Crumble the feta cheese into a large bowl and lightly mash with a fork. Mix in the eggs, parmesan cheese, the spinach mixture, nutmeg and mint. Season to taste.3 Melt the rest of the butter in a small pan or in the microwave. Unroll the filo pastry and brush a 23cm (9in) round clip-sided or loose-based cake tin with melted butter. Then brushing each filo sheet lightly with the melted butter, place in the tin, buttered side down, leaving the excess to hang over the edge. Turn the tin a quarter turn after each sheet. 4 Tip the filling into the tin, fold the excess pastry onto the top, a sheet at a time to give a ruffled effect. Bake for about 45 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to settle for five minutes.5 Take the spinach and feta pie out of the tin and cut into slices. Arrange on plates with the tomato salad to serve.Baked Aubergine with Tomato & Cheese
Serves four to six
1kg (2 1/4lb) aubergines, thinly sliced lengthways
5 tbsp olive oil
400g (14oz) (2 cups) mozzarella cheese, grated
100g (4oz) (1 cup) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
For the tomato sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 x 400g (14oz) cans chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp caster sugar
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 vegetable stock cube
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
green salad and ciabatta bread, to serve
1 Place a layer of aubergine slices on a plate. Sprinkle with salt and cover with kitchen paper. Continue with another layer on top until you have used up all the aubergine slices, finishing with kitchen paper. Weigh it down using something heavy, like a pan filled with water, and leave for 30 minutes so that the aubergines can release any excess liquid.2 Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for about four minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds; be careful not to let it burn. Stir in the tomatoes with the tomato purée, sugar, cayenne pepper and stock cube. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Season to taste.3 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark four) and heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Brush each aubergine slice with a little oil, then fry, a few slices at a time, until cooked through and golden on both sides. Add a little more oil to the pan, if needed. Drain on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.4 Cover the bottom of a 30cm (12in) x 20cm (8in) baking dish with two tablespoons of the tomato sauce. Top with a layer of aubergine and lightly spread with four tablespoons of the tomato sauce. Sprinkle generously with mozzarella and parmesan. Repeat these layers until you have used all the aubergine, finishing with a layer of tomato sauce and Parmesan (no mozzarella). Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. 
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