Gordon's spinach, feta and pine nut tart

SERVES 4

This tart is based on the Greek spanakopita, but my version uses shortcrust pastry.

Ingredients

300 shortcrust pastry
2 tbsp olive oil
2 sweet onions, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g spinach leaves, washed and drained
Nutmeg, to grate
250g feta cheese, crumbled
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
200ml double cream
50g toasted pine nuts
4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan

Method

1 Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a £1 coin, then use it to line a 23-25cm tart tin, 3-4cm deep, with a removable base. Press the pastry into the edges of the tin and leave a little excess overhanging the sides. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

2 Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onions with a little salt and pepper. Stir frequently over a medium heat for 6-8 minutes until soft but not browned. Wilt the spinach leaves in a large pan in several batches. Stir them over a medium-to-high heat until they’ve just wilted, then transfer to a colander set over a large bowl. Press down on the spinach with the back of a ladle to squeeze out the excess water, allow to cool slightly, then roughly chop into smaller pieces.

3 Put the onion and spinach in a large bowl and grate over a little nutmeg. Add the feta, egg, egg yolk, cream and a generous grinding of black pepper. Add a pinch of salt to taste, bearing in mind that the feta is already salty. Finally, fold in the pine nuts and 3 tablespoons of the parmesan. Chill until ready to use.

4 Heat the oven to 200C. Line the pastry with kitchen foil and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 15-20 minutes until the sides are lightly golden. Remove the foil and beans and return to the oven for another 5 minutes until the base is golden and there are no uncooked patches left. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 170C/Gas 3. Use a sharp knife to trim off the overhanging pastry, then set aside to cool.

5 Spread the filling evenly over the pastry shell, then sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is golden brown and the filling has set. Cool slightly before unmoulding, slicing and serving.