Spanakopita Quiche

Ingredients

• 200g frozen spinach
• 10 sheets frozen phyllo dough
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• Salt & pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped dill
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 250g feta cheese, crumbled
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup milk or cream
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. The night before you plan on making the pie, place the frozen spinach and phyllo dough in the fridge to thaw overnight or for up to one day.
2. For the filling, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, add in the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened and lightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parsley, dill, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Set this mixture aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 350ºF and retrieve the thawed spinach from the fridge. Drain the spinach through a strainer lined with a clean kitchen towel or a few layers of sturdy paper towel. Gather the spinach up in the towel and firmly squeeze out as much of the water as possible. Transfer the spinach to a bowl and add the lemon juice, feta cheese, and cooled onion mixture. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the milk or cream then add to the spinach mixture and stir well to combine. Set aside.
4. Retrieve the phyllo from the fridge, unroll it, and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep it from drying out. Place a 9-inch springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet and brush the bottom and sides lightly with butter. Lay out one sheet of phyllo, brush with butter and transfer it to the prepared pan. There is no need to be extra careful here – the phyllo might tear, crack or rumple up a bit but that just makes for more texture in the end result. Layer on two more buttered sheets of phyllo across the bottom of the pan.
5. Continue buttering the phyllo as before but begin placing the remaining sheets off-centre around the pan so that their edges overlap in the centre of the base and the other edge hangs over the sides, gently pressing along the bottom and up the sides to create a crust. Transfer the filling into the phyllo crust then haphazardly gather and fold the overhanging phyllo overtop of the edges of the filling, leaving the centre exposed.
6. Use any remaining butter to lightly brush this upper crust then bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan and serving.