Plastos - Polenta Crusted Spanakopita

Ingredients:

Crust

400g polenta

200ml extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp sea salt flakes

Pinch of cracked pepper

Filling

1 bunch English spinach, finely sliced

6 spring onion stalks, finely sliced

Handful of fresh dill, finely chopped

Handful of fresh mint, finely chopped

300g ricotta

200g smooth & creamy fetta

1 egg

Generous pinch of cracked pepper

Pinch of sea salt flakes

Method:

Preheat a fan forced oven to 200°C. Generously brush a 30 x 25 x 3 cm shallow baking tray with olive oil.

Add crust ingredients to a bowl with 150ml of warm water. Thoroughly mix with your hands until mixture resembles wet sand. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes to firm up.

Meanwhile, combine the spinach filling ingredients in a new bowl. Mix with your hands, firmly squeezing spinach to wilt and soften.

Transfer half the polenta mixture to your baking tray. Firmly press into the base and sides of the tray to form a thin crust (the polenta mixture should be paper thin, you can place a sheet of baking paper on top and use a spatula to help spread it thinly).

Spoon the filling over the polenta base and firmly smooth it out.

Add 1/3 cup of water to the remaining polenta mixture in the bowl to loosen the dough. Spread the wet mixture over the filling, using a spatula to smooth (don’t worry if there are tiny gaps on the surface, the pie will still form a firm top crust when baked). Spray the surface with olive oil.

Bake for 50 - 60 minutes until top is golden and crunchy. Rest for 15 minutes in the tray, slice and serve.