SPINACH, FETA & PARMA HAM FILO PIE

This is based on one of Jamie Oliver's recipes in his 30 Minute Meals. I love Jamie Oliver but quite frankly its just ridiculous to assume that any amateur cook is going to be able to complete this pie, plus the side dish and the ice-cream in thirty minutes, quite apart from the fact that that is supposed to include cooking time!  Also, I find that if you only want to cook one dish from any of his three part meals it becomes quite difficult to follow what you're supposed to be doing as theres just so much going on on each page - maybe i'm being obstinate but I just prefer a simpler layout. 

So here is my adaptation of Jamie's pie, with lots of pictures to make it really easy to follow.  It is a really tasty dish and something that you can keep in the fridge for a bit so that you have some grub on standby for when you don't feel like cooking!

• 100g pinenuts
• 5 eggs
• 300g feta cheese
• 50g Cheddar cheese
• Dried oregano
• 1 lemon
• A knob of butter
• 400g (prewashed baby spinach 
• 1 x 270g pack of filo pastry 
• Cayenne pepper 
• 1 whole nutmeg
• 1 pack parma ham

• Turn the oven on to 200C/ gas 6. Put a medium (approx 26cm) ovenproof frying pan on a medium heat.
• Put the pinenuts into the dry ovenproof frying pan to toast, tossing occasionally. Keep an eye on them.
• Crack 5 eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk.

• Crumble in the feta and grate in the cheddar. Add a pinch of pepper, a couple of pinches of dried oregano, zest of 1 lemon and a glug of olive oil. Once the nuts are light golden, add them to the egg mixture and mix well. 

• Put the empty frying pan back on the heat, add a little olive oil and a knob of butter and pile in half of the spinach. Gently move it around and adding the rest as it wilts down. Make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom by stirring frequently. 
• Once the spinach is really nice and dense, take the pan off the heat. Pour out excess liquid and add the wilted spinach to the egg mixture and grate in ½ a nutmeg and mix well. 

• Lay a large sheet of greaseproof paper, approx 50cm (20in) long, on the worktop, rub a little olive oil all over it, then scrunch it up and lay it out flat again. 
• Take the pastry out of the fridge. Put 2 of the the filo pastry sheets onto the greaseproof paper in a large rectangle, overlapping at the edges, so they pretty much cover the paper. Rub some olive oil over them and sprinkle over a good pinch of salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Repeat until you have 3 layers (or used up all your filo sheets). The sheets of filo are fiddly and delicate but don't worry about any torn bits, it wont matter! 

• Carefully move the greaseproof paper and filo into the empty frying pan so the edges spill over and gently push it down into the sides of the pan.

• Pour in half the filling and spread it out. Arrange a single layer of parma ham slices, slightly overlapping so that it is covered. Then pour in the rest of the filling and level out. 

• Fold the filo sheets over the top and let them fall where they will (this gives a nice rustic feel once cooked).

• Once covered, put the pan back on a medium heat for a couple of minutes to get the bottom cooking, then put the pan into the oven on the top shelf to cook for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Cut into it to check that it is properly cooked before serving - you don't want raw runny egg! If the top is getting too brown then move it to a lower heat for the last couple minutes to finish up.

Serve with salad for a yummy, filling meal. Omit the parma ham for a veggie alternative, but I think it adds a nice dimension. 

As always, if you try this let me know - feedback is always appreciated!