Serves 4
1/2 lb (225 g) feta cheese
1 1/2 lb (700 g) fresh or 1/2 lb (225 g) frozen leaf spinach
16 sheets (or 1 packet) filo pastry
1 onion
Pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 stick (2 oz) 50 g butter
1 tablespoon oil
Pinch Salt
1. If the spinach is fresh, wash it, then wilt it in boiling water for a couple of minutes and drain it. If frozen, defrost gently, and drain well.
2. Mix the spinach with half the butter. Peel and finely chop the onion and fry in the oil until softened.
3. Mix it in with the spinach and butter. Add the pinch of nutmeg.
4. Put the remaining butter into a saucepan and melt it gently.
5. Spread one sheet of filo out flat and brush with melted butter. Put another piece of filo on top, but at right angles to the first, so you now have an eight-pointed star of pastry.
6. Put one-eighth of the spinach mixture into the middle of the filo star and put a couple of half-inch (1 cm) cubes of feta on top, with a pinch of salt.
7. Bring the sides of the star together so they meet in the middle and give them a gentle twist to make a little parcel.
8. Brush the outside lightly with a little melted butter. Repeat until you have 8 small parcels.
9. Put them on a lightly greased and floured baking sheet in a hot oven, gas mark 7 / 425°F / 210°C / 190°C for approximately 20 minutes.
10. Watch carefully to make sure that the tips of the filo parcels do not burn. If they start to, just put a little greaseproof paper over the tips for the rest of the cooking time.
11. Take them out and you have this marvellous combination of crispy pastry, melting cheese and beautifully hot spinach and onion.
