Spanakopita ruffled milk pie

Spanakopita is the iconic traditional Greek spinach pie encased in layers upon layers of golden, buttery and flaky filo pastry. This recipe is inspired by the classic spanakopita recipes from Akis Petretzikis and Vefa Alexiadou

Galatopita or ‘ruffled milk pie’ is another classic Greek pie. It is traditionally a sweet pie made with ruffles of filo pastry, set into a custard made of milk, eggs, lemon and cinnamon.

My take on this classic Greek spinach pie recipe is a cross between spanakopita and galatopita – a savoury ruffled milk pie with spanakopita flavours. Drawing on my Cypriot background, I use silverbeet and halloumi cheese as the basis for my spanakopita filling, but you could substitute with spinach and feta.

Sometimes shop bought filo pastry makes spanakopita that is a tad dry. This pie, which has an egg custard base, is remarkably moist and silky while still having a golden, crispy topping. It’s also easy to cut and yields perfect slabs of spanakopita that hold their shape.

This is only one of a range of classic baking recipes on my website – many based on iconic, no-fail baking recipes. Check out the full range of recipes here!

Ingredients

80g unsalted butter, melted

375g frozen filo pastry, thawed

240g halloumi cheese, grated

40g parmesan or pecorino, grated

160g silverbeet or spinach, frozen and defrosted, drained and chopped

65g (1/2 medium) red onion, finely diced

1 large garlic clove, grated

1 handful mint, dill or coriander, finely chopped

200g (4 large) eggs, beaten

250mls full fat milk

100mls crème fraiche or Greek yoghurt

Pinch of flaky salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp each sesame and nigella seeds

Method

1. Grease 1 x 20cm/8-inch square cake tin (preferably non-stick) with melted butter.
2. Using 2-3 sheets, line the cake tin with a layer of filo, making sure it comes up the sides. Sprinkle with melted butter.
3. Combine cheeses, silverbeet, red onion, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined. Place aside until needed.
4. Working with one sheet at a time, sprinkle a sheet with melted butter, scrunch and place loosely in the tin. Continue, using one third of the remaining filo sheets. Add half the cheese/silverbeet mix directly on top of the pastry.
5. Repeat, with another third of the filo sheets, sprinkling each with butter. Then, top with remaining cheese/silverbeet mix. Finally, top with remaining third of filo sheets, sprinkling each with butter.
6. Fold in the edges of overhanging filo, brush the top generously with butter. Using the sharp point of a knife, make cuts down and cuts across, from edge to edge to create a grid. Use a sharp knife and take care not to drag the filo or press down on it.
7. Beat the eggs with the creme fraiche and milk, then gently pour over the contents of the tin. Sprinkle with sesame and nigella seeds. Let it stand for at least 30 minutes in a cool place before baking. The pie can be made ahead and stored, covered, in the fridge.
8. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) and bake the pie for 30 minutes. When it’s ready, the pastry will be golden and puffed up, and the inside set.
9. Let it stand for 10 minutes, before cutting and serving.