Ingredients
1 bunch of rainbow chard, shredded
1 brown onion, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp paprika
1 lemon, juice & rind
1-2 tbsp olive oil for frying
Handful of toasted pine nuts (optional)
1/2 cup feta (goat's feta works nicely)
1/2 cup ricotta, in chunks
1 egg, whisked
Salt and pepper to taste
6 sheets of filo pastry
2 tbsp olive oil for brushing pastry
Grated parmesan to serve (optional).
Summary
Traditional Greek Spanakopita is made with spinach leaves and feta, but to keep our seasonal eating options open, our Rainbow Chard Spanakopita recipe offers some variations so you can use whatever winter greens you have on hand (spinach bunch, baby spinach leaves, rainbow chard, kale or silverbeet).
In many Spanakopita recipes you may often be directed to remove the stems and shred the leaves to make the filling smoother and stick together, but we think it’s a massive waste not to display the beautiful white, yellow and red hues of rainbow chard, which is why we’re recommending you fry the mixture just a little longer and chop the stalks up very finely.
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Wash your rainbow chard or similar, and with a sharp knife finely shred the stalk & leaves together until you have a fluffy pile of green, pink, red, orange and white.
- In a large pot heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil, then fry the onions until browned, adding the garlic a little later so it doesn’t burn & turn bitter.
- Then throw in your rainbow chard and stir fry until the stalk parts have softened a little, and excess water has been evaporated. If your pot is looking a little sloppy, consider using a colander to wring out the mixture.
- Back in your pot, season with salt, pepper and paprika, and the juice & rind of 1 lemon. You may also like to add toasted pine nuts in there too. Warm through and turn heat off.
- On a non-stick baking tray, lay 1 sheet of filo pastry, brush oil to coat, and then add another on top, until you’ve applied all 6 sheets.
- In your pot, now a bit cooler, crumble your feta and ricotta. Then add the whisked egg and give the whole mixture a good stir.
- Using a big spoon ladle the mixture onto the filo pastry in a long log shape, making sure there’s enough pastry on either side to close the Rainbow Chard Spanakopita log at the end. Once you’ve rolled it all up nice and tight, give the top of the pastry a little brush of oil so that it doesn’t burn, and browns & flakes nicely.
- Pop it in the oven until golden and flaky (about 30 mins).
- Grate some Parmesan on top to serve, if you wish. Serve with relish or olive tapenade, and a colourful side salad.
Hints and Tips
If you're lactose intolerant you can reduce the amount of cheese, or substitute for older harder cheeses. Alternatively consider making your own paneer style cheese from lactose free milk. It's super easy!
For a gluten free option use gluten free filo pastry sheets.
