Spring Garden Pie

HISTORY & INTERESTING FACTS

When spinach and silverbeet are in glut, this is one of the easiest ways I know to turn an armful of greens into lunch or supper.

Across Europe, some of the most useful savoury pies follow a similar piece of kitchen logic. Greece has spanakopita and hortopita; Liguria has torta pasqualina; France has vegetable tarts and quiches; Spain has empanadas and cocas. They are different traditions, but each shows how a few seasonal vegetables, herbs, eggs or cheese and some pastry can become something far greater than the sum of its parts.

This is my loose, forgiving version. Filo gives you crispness without needing to make pastry, and the filling can follow whatever the garden is producing.

Spinach and silverbeet are my usual starting point, with parsley and marjoram. Traditional spanakopita often includes dill. Mine does not. My daughter cannot stand it to such an extent that I can’t even grow it in the garden — if she catches a whiff, she dry-reaches. Luckily, she lives in Australia, and not somewhere Nordic.

If you have leftover pancetta or bacon, use it. Swap the herbs. Add kale. Use young garlic tops. This is exactly the sort of pie that makes a glut — and yesterday’s leftovers — useful rather than burdensome.

It is also easy to make ahead and is just as happy served warm as it is at room temperature.

¡Bon Profit!
Raquel x

INGREDIENTS

• 150g butter
• 1/2 brown onion, finely diced
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 bunch silverbeet, leaves stripped from the thickest stems and chopped
• 400g English spinach
• 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 eggs
• 375g fresh ricotta
• 150g feta, crumbled
• 2–3 tbsp fresh marjoram leaves, chopped
• 3 generous pinches freshly grated nutmeg
• 375g filo pastry, preferably chilled rather than frozen
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• Optional: 100–150g cooked pancetta or bacon, chopped

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional).
2. If using uncooked pancetta or bacon, cook it first until lightly crisp, then set aside to cool. If you are using leftovers, simply chop and have them ready.
3. Melt about 30g of the butter in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook gently for about 5 minutes, until softened without colouring.
4. Add the silverbeet, cover and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. Add the spinach and parsley and cook only until wilted. If using kale, add it with the silverbeet so it has a little longer to soften.
5. Tip the greens into a colander and drain very well. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess moisture and chop roughly. This matters: wet greens make soggy pastry.
6. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then mix through the ricotta, feta, marjoram, nutmeg and plenty of black pepper. Fold in the cooled greens. Add the pancetta or bacon here if using, and taste before adding salt.
7. Melt the remaining butter. Brush a baking dish or pie dish generously, then layer in the filo sheets one at a time, brushing each lightly with butter and allowing plenty of pastry to overhang the edges.
8. Spoon in the filling and level it gently. Fold the overhanging filo loosely over the top — it does not need to look perfect.
9. Brush the top with butter, scatter with pumpkin seeds and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until deeply golden and crisp.
10. Rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.

RECIPE VARIATIONS

Change the greens:

Use all spinach, a spinach–silverbeet mix, or replace some of either with kale. Remove tough kale stems and allow the leaves a little more cooking time.

Change the herbs:

Parsley and marjoram are my usual combination. Parsley and chives give a fresher onion note; parsley and chervil are softer and slightly aniseed-like — add the chervil after the greens have cooled. Tender young garlic tops are excellent too; slice them finely and reduce the garlic cloves accordingly.

Add pancetta or bacon:

Fold 100–150g of cooked, chopped pancetta or bacon through the filling. It makes the pie a little richer, so go gently with the salt.

TIPS, CHEATS & TROUBLESHOOTING

Dry greens are the difference between crisp and soggy:

Once the greens are cooked, drain them thoroughly and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. If you have time, spread them on a tray or clean tea towel for a few minutes before mixing the filling. This is the single most important step for keeping the filo crisp.

Frozen spinach is perfectly acceptable:

If the garden is not cooperating, use frozen spinach. Thaw it completely, then squeeze it very dry before adding it to the filling. A bag of washed baby spinach is also a perfectly good shortcut.

Do not panic about torn filo:

Filo tears. It does not matter. Overlap the sheets, patch any gaps with another piece and keep going. Once folded, buttered and baked, the rough edges are part of the charm.

Keep unused filo covered:

While you are assembling the pie, keep the remaining sheets under a clean, slightly damp tea towel so they do not dry out and crack. Brush each layer lightly with butter rather than soaking it.

Season at the end:

Feta is salty, and pancetta or bacon adds more salt again. Mix the filling first, then taste and season. It is much easier to add salt than to rescue an over-seasoned pie.

Make the filling ahead:

The greens and cheese filling can be prepared a day ahead and kept refrigerated. 

If the top is browning too quickly:

Lay a loose sheet of foil over the pie and continue baking until the centre is set. 

To reheat:

Use the oven rather than the microwave if you want the pastry to crisp again. The pie is also excellent at room temperature, which is why it works so well for a picnic, lunch table or something to take when invited.

WINE MATCHING & SERVING SUGGESTIONS

The cheese filling is deceptively rich giving it plenty of weight, while the spinach, silverbeet and herbs keep it green and savoury. The best matches, for me, are wines with enough freshness to lift the pastry and cheese but enough texture not to disappear beside them.

Albariño is my first choice for the vegetarian version. Its freshness works particularly well with the leafy greens, herbs and salty feta. It is especially good if you have leaned towards parsley, chives or young garlic tops in the filling.

Amphora Blanco is a very natural fit when the pie is more savoury and earthy — more silverbeet or kale, a little extra nutmeg, perhaps marjoram rather than chives. 

If you add pancetta or bacon, Chardonnay becomes particularly good. The extra savoury richness in the pie wants a wine with a little more breadth and structure, and Chardonnay can carry the smoked, salty notes without making the dish feel heavy. 

Pinot Gris sits nicely between the freshness of Albariño and the broader feel of Chardonnay. It is a good choice if you are serving the pie at room temperature as part of a shared table.