Festive spinach, goat cheese & cranberry spanakopita
Ingredients
FILLING
320g baby spinach leaves
¾ tsp sea salt
200g feta cheese
125g soft goat cheese or curd
1 medium egg, beaten
4 spring onions, finely sliced
12g parsley, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
80g dried cranberries
¾ tsp chilli flakes
1/3 nutmeg, freshly grated
¼ tsp black pepper
1 lemon
Filo pastry case
100g butter
12 sheets filo pastry
Nigella seeds
Pinch of sea salt
Spicy yogurt dip
120g Yogurt
2 tsp pomegranate or rose harissa
1 tsp runny honey
Pinch of sea salt
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). 
- Place the spinach in a mixing bowl, sprinkle over the salt and scrunch together until the leaves start to collapse. 
- Combine the goat’s cheeses, egg, spring onions, parsley, thyme, dried cranberries, chilli flakes, nutmeg and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add the zest from half a lemon and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Mix well. 
- Transfer half of the spinach to a clean towel, pull up into a bag and squeeze out all the water. Repeat for the other half. Place the spinach in the mixing bowl with rest of the filling, and mix. 
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. When melted, brush 2 sheets of filo pastry with the butter and add one-sixth of the filling along one long edge. Don’t overfill or pack tightly and leave 3 cm unfilled at both ends. Roll into a sausage, gently twist into a coil, and fold the end underneath securely. Patch up breaks with strips of filo. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with nigella seeds. 
- Bake on a wire rack for 30 minutes until golden. 
- Mix the yoghurt, harissa and honey in a bowl. Add a pinch of sea salt and whisk. 
- Serve the pies with the dip and rocket. 
 Makes 6 individual pies or 1 large pie for sharing
 
                        