Spinach pie

This is the kind of recipe that should be in everyone's meal rotation. It's cheap, healthy, easy to make, delicious and can be eaten hot or cold. I am hungry just looking at this first photo because I remember so well the taste of it. This is our meal last Sunday night, we had leftovers on Monday night.

SPINACH OR SILVERBEET PIE

You'll need:

• freshly picked silverbeet or spinach - maybe 20 leaves of silverbeet. If you use frozen spinach, and that is absolutely fine to use, you'll need two of those small boxes.
• 1 onion, chopped.
• 1 clove garlic, crushed.
• 1 tablespoon olive oil x 2 (one for frying, one for brushing the pastry).
• 5 eggs.
• cheese - if you can use a few different varieties you'll get a better taste. I used 250 grams (½ lb) ricotta and about a cup of mixed cheddar and parmesan - grated. The ricotta is necessary, the others aren't, but add a lot of taste.
• salt and pepper.
• 4 sheets filo pastry. If you don't know what this is, it's a low fat pastry that you'll find in the refrigerated or frozen section of your supermarket.

HOW TO... Chop up the silverbeet/spinach, onion and garlic and add to a frying pan with the oil. Cook on medium until everything is soft.

While that is happening. mix your eggs and ricotta together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Grate the other cheese and mix in.

Add the cooked silverbeet/spinach mix to the eggs and combine well.

With a pastry brush and some olive oil, take each sheet of filo pastry and brush the oil over it. Double it up and place it in a pie dish. Each sheet of pastry should have a light brushing of oil over it. Cover the base of your pie plate with all the sheets. You might like to fold the edges under or you can leave then out like I do. Work quickly when you work with filo as it dries out fast. If you need to leave your work station, cover the pastry with a clean moist tea towel.

Pour the egg and spinach mixture into the pie dish and bake in a medium hot over - around 180C (350F) until the top is golden. Don't overcook as it will make the eggs rubbery.

Serve with a salad or vegetables. You can eat it hot or cold.

We had ours with a salad just picked from the backyard and with another leftover birthday beer. We're living high on the hog this week, my friends. ;- )