There is a small organic food store a few blocks from where we live. Apart from always having really nice fresh herbs and vegetables they also sell Turkish filo pastry hand pies called Börek, filled with spinach and feta cheese (similar to the Greek Spanakopita). And delicious mini baklavas. They make them daily and sell them waaaay too cheap. Almost everyone who visits their store leaves with a Börek in their hand and a baklawa tucked down in their bag. Us included. It is impossible not to. Every time we’ve been munching on them we’ve talked about making something similar at home. A few weeks ago we finally did.
Instead of going down the filo pastry route, we used the flavors from the Börek in a more westernized type of pie. The crust was made from ground oats and almond flour and turned out very light and delicious. We bought feta cheese from the same food store. Even though we are not cheese connoisseurs we can definitely recommend trying a better quality feta cheese than regular pre-packed store cheese. It certainly makes a difference. The pie turned out so much tastier than we expected. Full of flavor, rich but not too heavy. It is the perfect dish to bring on a picnic or a potluck, since it is just as good hot as it is cold. We recommend serving it with a simple tomato salad. The freshness from the tomatoes balances the richness of the pie perfectly.
If you are more curious about our neighborhoods we should add that we are working on a food guide to our favorite places in Stockholm. Or at least around the area where we live. So stay tuned for that.
Spinach and Feta Pie with an Oat Crust
Serves 4-8, depending on how large pieces you crave
For the crust
1/2 cup (65 g) gluten-free oat flour (buy or simply ground rolled oats in a mortar or food processor)
1/3 cup (45 g) ground almond flour
2 tbsp corn starch
½ tsp sea salt
3 tbsp cold-pressed coconut oil or organic butter
3 tbsp ice-cold water
For the filling
3 eggs
5 1/2 oz (150 g) feta cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp red chilli flakes
½ tsp grated nutmeg
2 tbsp olive oil
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove
2 cups (150 g) fresh spinach, firmly packed
Salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Combine the oat and almond flours, cornflour and sea salt in a bowl. Add the coconut oil and ice-cold water. With your hands, work the dry ingredients towards the centre until a dough forms. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in bee wax ‘paper’ or place it in a bowl and cover with a plate, then chill for about 30 minutes.
Press the dough evenly into a 20cm / 8 inch tart case. Trim the dough flush with the edge of the case. Prick the bottom with a fork and blind bake for about 10 minutes. Reduce the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3.
Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl, whisk for 30 seconds, then crumble in the feta cheese. Stir in the oregano, chilli flakes, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat. Add the spring onions and garlic and fry for about 3 minutes until golden. Add half of the spinach and a pinch of salt. Stir the spinach gently until it wilts, then add the rest and keep on stirring until wilted. Remove from the heat and pour into the mixing bowl containing the egg and cheese mixture. Stir well until everything is combined.
Spoon the filling into the crust. Bake for about 30 minutes until the filling is firm and golden. Let it cool for a while before serving.
__________
This recipes was first published in The Guardian’s article The 10 Best Picnic Recipes.
77 Comments