Spanakopita - Greek spinach pasties

These have long been one of the delights of our visits to Greece. Now with the help of our fantastic little rounds of thinly rolled, light-as-air puff pastry we can revisit them in a flash at any time.

Serves 2

Delia's How to Cheat at Cooking

Spanakopita - Greek spinach pasties

Ingredients
1 bag (about 225g) young leaf spinach
4 Jus-Rol frozen small individual puff pastry rounds, defrosted for about 15 minutes (covered with a cloth)
1 teaspoon soft butter
2 heaped tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
4 heaped tablespoons fresh ready-grated Parmesan
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
whole nutmeg, for grating
1 medium egg, beaten, for brushing

Method

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 220°C. To begin with, microwave the spinach according to the instructions on the pack or cook until just wilted in a large pan; either way, empty it into a colander and leave it to cool.

Meanwhile, place the butter, feta, Parmesan, garlic and lemon juice in a bowl. Then, when the spinach is cool enough, squeeze out every last bit of moisture (hands are best for this) and roughly chop it, then combine it with the other ingredients in the bowl, adding some seasoning and a good grating of nutmeg.

Now place a heaped tablespoon of the spinach mixture on to one half of each pastry round, brush the edge with beaten egg, then fold the other half over each one, pressing the edges well together.

Transfer the pasties to a greased baking sheet, make a small hole in the centre of each one (to allow the steam to escape), then brush them with more beaten egg. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden-brown.

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