Spiral Spanakopita with Three Cheeses

Method

1. Wash the spinach, discard thick stems, dry it in a salad spinner and chop it into 1 cm ribbons. Toss it in a large bowl with the salt and rub it with your hands for 1 minute, then leave it for 10 min. Wilting it raw keeps the spinach bright green and fresh-tasting. Squeeze it in handfuls until no more water drips out; if it tastes very salty, rinse it briefly and squeeze again.

   Add in this stepFresh spinach 400 gSalt (for wilting the spinach) 1 tsp

2. Halve the leek lengthways, rinse out any grit and slice it thinly with the spring onions. Cook them in the olive oil in a 22 cm frying pan over medium heat for 7 min, until very soft and sweet but not coloured. Let them cool.

   Add in this stepExtra virgin olive oil 1 tbspLeek, white and pale green part ½Spring onions 2

   medium heat

3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and let it bubble gently for 5 min without stirring, skimming off the white foam. Pour the clear golden fat into a cup, leaving the milky solids at the bottom behind. Clarified butter makes phyllo crisper and browns without burning.

   Add in this stepUnsalted butter 60 g

   low heat

4. Preheat the oven to 190 °C. In a bowl, mash the feta and ricotta together with a fork, then mix in the grated cheese, eggs, dill, mint, nutmeg, grated lemon zest and plenty of black pepper. Fold in the squeezed spinach and the leeks. The filling should be thick, not runny.

   Add in this stepFeta cheese 120 gRicotta 80 gParmesan (or Greek kefalotyri), finely grated 20 gEggs 1Fresh dill, chopped 2 tbspFresh mint, chopped 1 tbspNutmeg, freshly grated 1 pinchLemon (zest only) ¼Black pepper to taste

5. Brush a 22 cm round baking tin with clarified butter. Lay one phyllo sheet on the counter with a long side towards you, brush it with butter, lay a second sheet on top and brush again (keep the rest under a damp tea towel). Spoon a line of filling about 2 cm thick along the long edge nearest you and roll the pastry loosely into a rope. Gently push it together from both ends like an accordion so it can bend without tearing, and coil it in the centre of the tin. Repeat with the remaining sheets two at a time, joining each new rope to the end of the last to make one large spiral.

   Add in this stepPhyllo (filo) pastry sheets, thawed 8

6. Brush the spiral all over with the remaining butter, scatter over the sesame seeds and bake in the oven (oven) for 40 min, until deep golden and crisp, including the gaps between the coils. Let it rest in the tin for 10 min, then lift it out and cut it into wedges.

   Add in this stepSesame seeds 1 tsp

   oven