Spanakopita - Greek Cheese & Spinach Pie

This is probably one of the most comfortingly familiar dishes for on the go that immediately transports me to Corfu and two long, hot summers spent a few years back now. You’ll be hard pushed to find a bakery, patisserie or even supermarket on the Greek islands that doesn’t sell a version of the ‘cheese pie’.

I’ve played around with this dish a LOT over the years, and whilst you can add things like sautéed onions and garlic into the cheesy mix, as well as herbs like dill, mint or parsley, this simplified version below is the one that I prefer and that goes down well with adults and kids alike. It is also quicker to prepare, win, win.

You can serve this as an epic vegetarian main course, but I like to serve it alongside a host of other Greek dishes. It is also good cold, and makes for a really, great picnic dish – I take it along whole, and cut it into about 8 pieces when we find our picnic spot. 

Spanakopita - Greek Cheese & Spinach Pie

Spanakopita - Greek Cheese & Spinach Pie

Here’s how:

• 1/2 pack filo pastry
• Olive oil spray (you can also use a pastry brush and some poured olive oil)
• 200g Feta cheese (do not use ‘Greek salad cheese’ it is not good!)
• 150g Ricotta
• 25g Cheddar (or other hard cheese)
• 250g spinach leaves
• 2 eggs
• Fresh nutmeg
• Black pepper

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and use a generous amount of olive oil in a small-medium pie dish and brush all over to prevent any sticking.

Fill and boil the kettle and place the spinach leaves in a colander. Pour over enough freshly boiled water over the spinach leaves to just gently wilt and leave to drip in the sink.

Now to prepare the cheese mixture. Place the Feta into a mixing bowl and use a fork to roughly mash up a little bit. Now add the Ricotta and grate in the Cheddar. Season generously with black pepper – I omit from adding salt here as Feta tends to be quite salty, but add a pinch if you wish. Mix together roughly.

Now crack in the two eggs, which will enrich this mixture – and which is a very much Greek method of thickening things. Mix well and then grate over a really generous amount of the nutmeg – you want to be able to taste this in the final dish, so don’t be shy.

For the spinach, use a clean tea towel or some kitchen paper to really squeeze the excess liquid out of the wet leaves – try to get them as dry as possible to prevent any soggy bottom situations or from the pie being too wet. Once satisfied add to the cheese and egg mixture and stir it all until it is combined well and set aside.

Now it’s time to layer up the pie. Firstly add one whole sheet of filo over the pie dish long ways, and use your hands to gently press down into the base of the dish, so the excess filo pastry is hanging over the side of the dish. Be as gentle as possible here, as filo is incredibly delicate.

Now use the olive oil spray and spray all over the pastry (or use a pastry brush to gently coat) and then place another sheet over the pastry the width ways this time, repeating the process with pressing down, and then spraying with the oil.

Do one more layer long ways, and then you can spoon in the cheese and spinach mixture. Try to distribute it as evenly as you can. Once satisfied, take the excess pastry and layer it over the top of the pie, spraying any dry bits with the olive oil spray. (I appreciate this sounds like a lot of oil – but if you don’t follow this, the final pie can be really dry, and less appetising).

Take one final sheet of filo pastry, fold it half and place over the top of the pie, gently pressing it down to cover the entire pie. Give a final spray of oil and the pie is ready to bake in the oven. Pop it in for approximately 45 minutes – or until crisp and golden brown. If you have a speedy oven, check after 35 minutes to avoid burning.

Remove from the oven and allow to sit in the dish for five minutes, before using a palette knife to gently go around the outside of the pie, inside the dish, to prevent it sticking, then very carefully use a fish slice or spatula to help you remove the pie from the dish and place onto a wooden board or large plate to serve. Enjoy!

Some other Greek recipes you may enjoy:

• Souzoukakia
• Souvlaki
• Moussaka
• Briam - Summer Vegetable Stew
• Prawn Saganaki
• Pastitsio
• Greek Stuffed Tomatoes
• Greek Chicken Traybake
• Greek Salad

Spicy Beef Quesadilla with Avocado Salad

These Spicy Beef Quesadilla are a really comforting dish to have on a work/school night and the accompanying creamy little salad works perfectly with it.

I've used beef mince here but you could just as easily use turkey, lamb, pork or chicken mince - but the beef work well with the level of spicing I've used. If you don't like much heat, adjust the spices accordingly and maybe remove the red chilli.

The below serves a family of four with a couple leftover to fight over.

Spicy Beef Quesadillas with Avocado Salad

Here's how:

• Few sprays of Frylight Olive Oil or a drizzle of olive oil
• 450g beef or steak mince
• 1 large red onion
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 1 red chilli
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp hot paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• Pinch of sea salt
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 250g mushrooms
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 can red kidney beans

• x6 tortilla wraps
• 1 ball Mozzarella
• Handful of grated Cheddar

For the salad:

• 2 ripe avocados
• 8 sweet cherry tomatoes
• 1 small tin of sweetcorn (or one corn on the cob, cooked, and with the corn extracted)
• Pinch sea salt
• Juice of half a lime

Firstly prepare the beef by adding the Frylight or olive oil to a large wok or frying pan and placing on a low heat.

Peel and finely dice the onion, mince the garlic and slice the chilli (keep the seeds in for an extra kick) and add to the warm pan.

In the meantime, slice the red pepper and the mushrooms and set aside.

Once the onion mixture has begun to soften, add the mince to the pan, season well with the salt and pepper and use a wooden spatula to break up a little and ensure it cooks evenly all over.

After a couple of minutes in the pan, add the coriander, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper and mix well.

Allow to cook until the meat is completely browned off and then add the red peppers, red kidney beans, mushrooms and the tomato puree; mix well and then allow to cook for another 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime prepare the salad by firstly removing the flesh of the avocados and placing into a small bowl. Use the back of a fork to carefully mash the avocado - you don't want a complete puree here, so go easy. Chop the cherry tomatoes up into small pieces and add to the avocado and then add the corn too. Squeeze over the lime juice, season with sea salt and mix gently and the salad is ready.

Now take the Mozzarella ball, and very thinly slice and set aside.

To make the quesadilla, firstly place the frying pan on a medium heat and add a couple of sprays of the Frylight.

Now place one tortilla wrap into the pan, with half on the pan side - you can use a knife or a spoon to prevent the other half going into the pan. Work quickly here. Now spoon over a generous portion of the spicy beef mix and ensure the half of tortilla is well covered. Top with a little Mozzarella and grated Cheddar, fold the other half of the tortilla over and fry for 3-4 minutes until nicely golden brown.

Now carefully use a fish slice and/or spatula to turn the tortilla over and cook on the other side until golden and the cheese has just melted.

Remove from the pan carefully placing onto a wooden board or plate and pop into the oven on a low heat to keep warm.

In the meantime, be assembling the next quesadilla in the pan repeating the process until all are cooked.

Now slice each quesadilla in half or smaller pieces for any little ones, and place onto a plate, stacked up with a couple of spoonfuls of the avocado salad. Enjoy!

Family Fish Pie

This is a really delicious, wholesome and comforting dish, perfect for cold winter nights for all the family.

The below makes enough for x3 adult portions and two smaller toddler portions which I make in ramekins and for Bridget's smaller portions I add some frozen sweetcorn too for extra veg (Glen hates it so can't include it in the adult version).

Some people poach their fish first, but I chop it all up raw and allow it to cook inside the pie - 30 minutes is more than enough time for it to cook through.

This is a great, nutritious toddler meal and a good way of encouraging them to eat fish - Bridget absolutely loves fish pie. 

Family Fish Pie

Here's how:

For the mash topping:

• 800g white potatoes (I use Desiree) 
• Pinch salt
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp butter or margerine
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 50g hard cheese such as Grana Padano, Cheddar etc.) 

For the pie filling:

• 1 small onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 400ml milk
• 2 tbsp white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 heaped tsp mustard powder
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 100g frozen peas
• Handful fresh parsley leaves
• Handful fresh tarragon leaves
• 1 large salmon fillet
• 1 large cod fillet (or other white fish)
• 1 large smoked cod or haddock fillet (approx 200g) 

Firstly peel the potatoes and rinse well. Then coat in water and a pinch of salt and place onto boil. Once they've come to the boil simmer for a further 15-20 minutes, or until a fork easily goes through the potato. Drain, and return to the pan on the heat to absorb any retained moisture then remove.

Add the milk and butter and firstly mix a bit with the fork. Now mash well with a conventional masher and season well with white pepper. Remove enough mash for any child or toddler portions, then add another pinch of salt for the adults and set aside.

Now pre-heat the oven to 180.

It’s now time to make the fish pie sauce or roux. Place the butter in a non-stick pan on a medium heat and allow to gently melt.

In the meantime finely dice the onion and mince the garlic, then add to the melted butter for a minute or two.
Now add the flour using a wooden spoon to mix as you go so it all combines well.

Now add the wine and use a balloon whisk to gently mix which will avoid the sauce becoming lumpy. Add the bay leaf and mustard powder at this stage and season to taste.

Next add the milk a little at a time, mixing in with the balloon whisk as you go once all combined mix with the wooden spoon and allow to cook for ten minutes or so. Now add the frozen peas, and sweetcorn if you are using and stir through then remove from the heat.

Rough chop the parsley and tarragon and add to the sauce and stir. 

Family Fish Pie the Roux or Sauce

Now cut all of the fish fillets into fairly similarly sized cubes. Add to sauce mix and stir well, then spoon into the pie dish or dishes. 

Family Fish Pie pre-potato topping

Baby Bites Portion of Family Fish Pie

Now spoon over the mash potato to cover all, then use the back of the spoon to smooth it down a little. Now use the back of a fork to make a crimped finish and complete by grating over the cheese.

Place the dish onto a baking tray and pop into the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the potato topping is golden brown. Enjoy!

Cheese Muffins

After Christmas, there is usually a stack of odds and ends of cheese left in the fridge and these cheesy breakfast muffins are a great way of using them up and serving up a delicious baked breakfast treat that are sure to be loved by all the family - they are great for toddlers too as a finger food if just one is eaten as you do need a little salt here for these savouries.

You could use almost any cheese in this quick and simple recipe but milder creamy ones may be a little too subtle. I recommend using some Cheddar, Red Leicester and a Goat's which will add a lovely oozy gooey quality too. 

Cheese Muffins

Here's how:

• 200g self raising flour
• 75g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp Worcester Sauce
• 150g natural yoghurt
• 125ml whole milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 150-200g cheese (selection of your choice but here I used Strong Cheddar, Red Leicester and a Welsh Goat's cheese) - grate some and tear/chop some into the little cubes
• 1/2 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp black pepper

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 and place 12 muffin cases into a tin and set aside.

In one bowl combine all of the dried ingredients (flours, mustard powder, baking powder, salt, pepper, thyme) and mix well.

In a different bowl mix all of the wet ingredients (everything else) and the cheese well. 

Add the dried ingredients slowly to the wet mixing well until all is combined and then spoon out equal amounts into each muffin case.

Place into the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least ten minutes before serving - but be warned these are completely addictive if enjoyed warm. Enjoy!

Baby Bites Steak and Lentil Cottage Pie

This is an absolute family favourite at our house and particularly with our little weaning one.

Whilst she does love her finger food, this is a great chance to encourage her how to use a spoon too - and serving with some vegetable spears such as asparagus and baby corn, mean she can dip them in and still have a selection of fun finger foods too.

I only use 200g lean steak mince and 150g red lentils plus all of the vegetables and this makes enough for two cottage pies plus two small ones so this is a very economical meal too as well as being a bit healthier than a traditional cottage pie.

Also with the gravy - if you have all the time in the world to make one from scratch - perfect. Personally I use Bisto, and find no shame in this.

 

Here's how:

• 200g lean steak mince
• 150g red lentils
• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 carrots
• 3 sticks celery
• 3 tbsp frozen peas
• 500ml gravy - made to your preference
• 200g white potatoes (I use Desiree) 
• Black pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 30g hard cheese (I use Cheddar)
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Firstly peel and wash the potatoes and put them on to boil and pre-heat the oven to about 180 degrees.

Now finely dice the onion and crush the garlic add to a pan on a low heat with a spritz of cooking spray.

Now peel and chop the carrot and slice the celery and set aside.

Once the onion has begun to soften, add the meat to the pan and move around using a spatula or wooden spoon until it has browned all over.

Once brown, add the carrot, celery and lentils and cook in the juices from the meat for three or four minutes whilst you make up the gravy.

Now pour over half of the gravy and add the frozen peas, dried thyme and a pinch of black pepper at this point too. Try not to be tempted to add salt at this point if possible - the gravy will have a salt content and you and your partner or any other adults sharing the meal can always add salt when eating.

Give a good stir and leave to bubble away for twenty minutes, adding more gravy if it becomes too dry.

Test to see if the potatoes are soft enough to mash with a fork and if so, drain, shake away excess water then return to the pan and place back on the heat for ten seconds giving the pot a good shake to remove any leftover moisture.

Now add the olive oil and mash. Add a pinch of salt here too for seasoning. Once nicely mashed set aside for the moment.

Once the meat has been cooking for twenty minutes, remove from the heat and spoon half into an ovenproof dish. I like to do Bridget's in a separate dish so also use a ramekin for her which is the perfect size and two tablespoons of the meat mixture is sufficient. The remaining meat I put into a plastic dish ready for freezing. (Obviously allow this to completely cool before placing into the freezer to avoid it ruining the rest of the food in the freezer!)

Now spoon on the mashed potato onto both dishes use the back of a spoon to press it down slightly. Once evenly distributed all over, grate over the cheese onto both dishes, and use a fork to crimp to give it that classic look once cooked.

Now leave to stand until you're ready to cook or place into the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes or until nicely golden brown. 

Serve with your choice of vegetables.

Walnut and Basil Pesto

This is a gorgeous pesto recipe (served here with penne and spinach leaves simply stirred through), it makes a good batch that works well with a heap of different meals and keeps for a good week in the fridge. It makes enough for at least five different meals, if not more.

I used walnuts once as I didn’t have any pine nuts in stock and this is now my go-to for pesto as I love the silky, almost creamy finish that walnuts afford.

This couldn’t be simpler to make and I have a few posts coming up that will demonstrate the versatility.

You can play around with the quantities too – this is a quicky that works for me, but you might prefer more garlic, basil or even oil for a thinner consistency.

Also when I’m making a batch for the baby to enjoy, I tend to use a Cheddar rather than Parmesan as it tends to have a slightly lower salt content and also it’s something I always have in stock.

Here’s how:

About 30-40g fresh basil – stalks as well as leaves
60g walnuts
2 cloves garlic
5 tbsp good quality olive oil
Pinch of salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

60g Parmesan or other hard cheese

Firstly peel and roughly chop the garlic. Roughly chop the walnuts too then add both to the blender. (You can use a pestle and mortar but I blitz it all together in my blender.)

Add the basil as is, the olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and grate in the cheese.

Blitz together on a medium mode for 1 minute which should leave you with a smooth, creamy pesto. Taste and add seasoning to your preference – add more lemon if you prefer it slightly zingy.

To make the pictured dish – simply cook 75g penne per person to pack instructions. Before draining, retain 1 tablespoon of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return to the pan on the lowest heat.

Add 1 tablespoon per person of the pesto and stir through thoroughly ensuring every piece is coated. Stir the spinach leaves through and serve immediately.

Baby Bites - Cheesy Sweet Potato Mash

From six months old in the weaning game, almost anything is fair game with a few exceptions. Part of the fun here is introducing new tastes, flavours and then eventually textures, so to start with, we had simply mashed individual root vegetables. The sweeter varieties such as parsnip and sweet potatoes were particular favourites, but I've read that in order to not give your little one too much of a sweet tooth, it's vital to introduce more savoury tastes around this time too.

You can mash together almost any root vegetables but Bridget really loved the combination of swede and parsnip and carrot with parsnip. Also I started the weaning process a little earlier than six months so at this point we may have been a little more adventurous than if you're just starting out.

One of the first foods I gave to Bridget with protein in, was this Cheesy Sweet Potato and it has since become a firm favourite.

For ease and organisation now I’m back at work, I make up a batch and pop into little pots in the freezer so this makes up 3-4 portions.

2 smallish sweet potatoes or 1 big one
30g cheese, we use Cheddar or Red Leicester

This is the easiest thing to make - simply bake the sweet potatoes in the oven for 30 minutes or until the inside flesh is soft and yielding.

Remove from the oven and then remove the inside flesh and pop into a bowl, using a fork or a masher to fully mash. Sweet potato is such a lovely soft and smooth texture when baked which makes it perfect for little ones even before the arrival of teeth.

Grate in the cheese and fully mix and then divide between 3-4 pots and if serving a portion right away, allow the potato to cool enough first.

When using a ‘frozen’ portion, I remove from the freezer in the morning and allow to defrost first, then simply pop the pot into a bowl of boiled water to warm.

Three-Cheese Topped Pork Lasagne

Foolishly,and in my natural greed, I forgot to take a photo of Sunday night’s dinner – but frankly it was too delicious not to share so here we are. Not a health tonic, it’s much more of an indulgent, comfort-food style of eating: my Three-Cheese Topped Pork Lasagne.

This can of course be tweaked to include beef or lamb mince, but do try the pork version as it is a definite flavour winner.


Ingredients


400g lean pork mince

1 red onion, chopped finely

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp dried oregano

Tin of tomatoes

2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste

Lasagne sheets (I used dried but you could use fresh or if you have a pasta maker make your own)

425ml milk

45g butter

20g plain flour

Parsley stalks

10 peppercorns

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

Half ball of Mozzarella

100g Parmigiana Reggiano

100g Mature Cheddar


How To


The Béchamel Sauce

  1. First in a saucepan warm through the milk with the peppercorns, parsley stalks and bay leaf as well as some generous seasoning. Allow to boil, then simmer for five minutes. Take off of the heat.

2. In a separate pan melt the butter slowly, not letting it burn. Once melted add the flour, bit by bit, constantly stirring it in with a wooden spoon.

3. Sieve the milk contents into the butter and flour mixture slowly, keeping up the stirring until all milk has been added and the consistency is thick and sauce-like whilst also smooth.

4. Add about 20g of the Cheddar and continue to stir until the sauce returns to the thick and smooth consistency

5. Taste and then add seasoning where necessary and take off of the heat.



The Meat & Sauce

1. Firstly sauté the chopped onion and garlic in some extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick pan.

2. Once softened add the pork mince and continue to move around the pan with a wooden spatula or spoon until its beginning to brown.

3. Add the cinnamon and oregano to the meat with a pinch each of sea salt and ground black pepper and allow to cook for a few minutes.

4. Add the tin of tomatoes and stir through so the meat is evenly covered. Next add the two tablespoons of sun-dried tomato paste. Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minute. Just before taking off of the heat add in some roughly torn fresh basil leaves.


Assembly


1. In your greased, ovenproof dish firstly layer some of the meat.

2. Use a large spoon or ladle to pour on some of the béchamel sauce then use a palette knife to spread over the meat.

3. Add a sprinkling of the Parmesan over the sauce.

4. Top with the lasagne sheets so all of the sauce is covered and then add your next layer of meat.

5. Repeat this process so you have three layers of meat and then for the top layer top the lasagne sheets with the remaining béchamel sauce.

6. Finally use the remaining cheese to cover the top, sprinkling the Parmesan and Cheddar on evenly and tearing the Mozzarella and placing in even spots around the lasagne.

7. If you want to you can top with slices of tomato for a garnish.


Cook


1. Place in a pre-heated oven at around 160-170 degrees and allow to cook for around 40-45 minutes or until the top is a glorious golden brown and the cheese is bubbling away


Serve


Perfect with a simple green leaf salad, lightly dressed with either a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a glass of glorious Italian red wine - I enjoyed with a Barolo Milani 2007/8 Rocca, which was given to me recently as a present, and it went down rather well indeed.

Simple Supper - Gnocchi Pasta Bake

Sometimes in my life when preparing a meal for loved ones, I have all the time in the world, and can lovingly and leisurely prepare dishes that I’m quite proud of and which demonstrate the passion that’s have gone into them.Other times I might get home from work on a Friday evening, realise that dinner-making duties have fallen on my unwilling shoulders, and have very little motivation or energy for it. On these days I rely on my ‘simple suppers’, which basically do exactly what they say on the tin. They’re not time consuming, take little effort, fill a food hole, and fill it well.Last week I called on an old favourite – a Gnocchi Pasta Bake - which I adapt according to what’s in the fridge at the time – a crowd pleaser, that’s filling, comforting and damn-right yummy. But the real beauty of this dish is that it literally is completely changeable dish that can depend exactly on what’s already in stock – it’s also a very cheap dinner, so perfect for the end of the month, before pay-day when money might be tight.

This time I made the very easy sauce by sautéing chopped spring onions, (can use any type!), a little crushed garlic (optional), and some chopped smoked bacon. For ideal results I would use pancetta, but bacon was in the fridge and meant I didn’t have to leave the house, so bacon was used, and it gave a nice smoky flavour. I also chucked in 2 mushrooms, chopped – which again were left in the bottom of the fridge.

Once this was nicely cooked I added a tub of crème fraiche and cooked for about five minutes. While all of this was going on I cooked some fresh Gnocchi – or pasta potato dumplings – which only take a couple of minutes in boiling water and drained. I broke up a couple of fresh mackerel fillets that were in the fridge and mixed all in together with some chopped parsley and placed into an ovenproof dish.

It goes without saying that this must be seasoned to taste as you go along with salt and ground black pepper. I have made this with chicken before and it’s just as tasty – but I do love oily fish at this time of year.Finally I grated on some Cheddar (again a fridge essential – but other cheese would work just as well, especially a Mozarella or Emental which have that nice melting quality). This was then baked in the over for 25 minutes until the cheese was lightly browned and et voila – dinner was served.

I served with a simple salad thrown together. And in the 25 minutes the dinner took to cook I had time to clear away, lay the table and most importantly open a bottle of cold Pinot Grigio and pour myself a generous glass as a reward for all that hard cooking. Simples!