Name of Recipe:Spinach and Cheese Pie
Number of People:Serves 6
Ingredients:I bunch spinach, silver beef or rainbow chard, approx 700g
I litre boiling water
2 red onions, quartered
2 cloves garlic
20g olive oil
450g quark or cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
200g fetta cheese, cubed
80g tasty cheese, grated
3 eggs
Black pepper
25g toasted pine nuts
Melted butter (approx 30g) or oil spray
Approx half a packet of filo pastry
Preparation:1. Wash the spinach well. Remove stalks and roughly chop or tear the leaves into smaller pieces.
2. Pour the boiling water into the jug and place the steaming tray on top of the jug. Place half the spinach in the steaming tray, and use the cook (TMX Varoma ) temperature for 5 minutes at speed 4 (TMX Speed 4). Add the remaining spinach and cook for a further 5 minutes at speed 4.
3. Remove steamer tray and leave the spinach to cool. Pour out the water from the jug and rinse.
4. Add the onions and garlic to the bowl and chop on speed 5 (TMX speed 4) for 4 seconds.
5. Pour oil into bowl and sautée for 5 minutes on cook (TMX Varoma) temperature on speed 1 with the measuring cup off.
6. Squeeze as much moisture out of the steamed spinach as you can ( I put rubber gloves on so I don't burn my hands)
7. Add spinach to bowl and chop on speed 5 (TMXspeed 4) for 5 seconds.
8. Sautée for 3 minutes on cook (TMX Varoma) temperature on speed 3 (TMX speed 2).
9. Add quark, fetta, tasty cheese, eggs and ground black pepper (to taste) to bowl.
10. Mix on the knead (TMX Interval) setting for I minute.
11. Brush sheets of filo pastry with melted butter, and place some of the sheets in the baking dish. Pour the spinach mix in, sprinkle with pine nuts, and top with more sheets of filo pastry OR place the spinach mixture straight into the dish, top with pine nuts, and just add the pastry to the top.
12. Place in a preheated 180C oven for 35-45 minutes
Photos:Tips/Hints:I have made this in my Thermo Chef, but I have given suggestion for a Thermomix
This is a very flexible recipe, and the quantities and ingredients can be altered depending on what you have on hand. I sometimes add Parmesan cheese or omit the pine nuts.
I prefer to use the fresh filo from the supermarket instead of the frozen filo
Use this recipe as a guide only- it doesn't have to be followed to the letter. Everytime I make this recipe, it is slightly different .