Assorted Cheese & Spinach Pies!

(serves 6, or makes 24 mini pies)

It's strange how relaxing cooking can be even when you're trying to cook a few things at once, I think it's a good stress though and i find it gives me something to focus on so i can forget everything else for a little bit - great procrastination indeed. After a few pretty intense weeks that have been rather non-stop, this was exactly what i needed to relax and remember how good it is to have a night in to just chill and spend some time in the kitchen making some delicious food :) 

So, i thought i'd play around with the leftover filo in the fridge and use up the leftover cheese too!

Prep time: 30 min
Cooking time: 15 min


Ingredients:
1 bunch spinach
1 onion
300g ricotta
120g feta
40g strong cheese (in my case, a mix of leftover Cheddar and Pecorino)
1 egg
Rind of 1 lime
12 sheets filo pastry
30g butter, melted
Spray oil
Salt and pepper


Method:
1. Wash and finely chop the spinach, then blanch in salted water for 2-3 minutes and drain. Try to wrench out as much water out of it as possible.
2. Finely chop the onion and saute on a frypan until softened.
3. Mix the ricotta, feta, cheddar and pecorino with the spinach, lime rind and egg. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp ground pepper.

4. Lay out 1 piece of filo pastry then spray with oil and top with another sheet of filo. Repeat with another 5 layers of filo, alternating between brushing melted butter and spray oil between the layer.
5. If making a pie, then put the layers into a dish (spray the dish and its sides with oil first), and top with the spinach mixture. 
For the topping, layer 3 pieces of filo with oil in between, cut into quarters and roughly scrunch it up and place on top of pie in rough rows. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of filo. Spray with oil on top to help with browning.

6. If making mini pies, then create 2 lots of 6-layered filo. Cut each filo sheet stack into 12 squares. Gently place the squares of filo into a muffin tray mould or ramekins (or both) and fill with spinach mixture.

7. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and rest for a couple of minutes, then move onto a cooling rack.
8. Serve warm, whilst filo is nice and crunchy!