The only thing better than being on holiday? Plotting every last detail of it. Heading to Greece? Move the group chat to your dinner table and get on the spanakopita hustle. It’s the Greek filo pastry pie you probably recognise from being packed full of spinach and feta cheese. But- plot twist- it’s also traditionally made dairy-free during fasting periods, meaning this vegan take on a Grecian classic is an ideal fit for vegan pals.
By wrapping a rich spinach, vegan cheese, lemon and parsley filling in multiple layers of filo pastry, the end result takes on a wonderfully erratic surface and texture- at once both crunchy, brittle, chewy and soft. Bonus points are that it’s much easier to make than it looks.
While Spanish and Italian recipes get plenty of attention, Greece’s culinary heritage is something of an unsung hero. With oranges, olives, dates, almonds, pomegranates, figs, grapes and rice all grown across the country, Greece’s food is a great place to start if you’re looking for holiday inspiration, or, you know, just fancy eating your way through everything that’s delicious for a week.
For this spanakopita you can change the filling here to suit your own tastes- I’ve chosen to use vegan soft cheese but tofu with plenty of seasoning will also work just as well. In winter, you might want to take this recipe down a nutmeg and cracked black pepper route, but for summer, lemon juice, parsley and chilli feels about right.
Get your mates over on a weeknight, make sure they know it’s BYOB, and you can have this made in under an hour, for under a tenner.
Vegan Spanakopita
Serves 4 generously
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped down small
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped small
2 red chillies, chopped small
2 spring onions, chopped small
Salt and pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
Around 600g of fresh baby spinach leaves, washed
250g of vegan soft cream cheese
100g vegan margarine, melted
1 pack of pre-made filo pastry, or about 12 sheets
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Serve with a chopped salad and tomatoes
What to do
And, in case you need a little bit of help with your Greek before you head away, we've got a series of Greek phrasing lessons. Here's lesson one....
English: Please direct me to the nearest bar
Greek: που ειναι το πιο κοτινο μπαρ?
Fly direct with British Airways to Crete & Rhodes from London Gatwick. Book and discover more here and check them out on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. For a chance to win designer luggage and beach kits, travel tech packs and even a paid for trip to Greece, head here.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.