Spinach pastilla

23 September 2015 - 02:28 By Sunday Times Food Weekly

The traditional Moroccan pastilla is made of layers of crispy phyllo pastry covering a filling of cooked pigeon. This vegetarian version uses layers of spinach combined with raisins and almonds and is finished off with a sprinkling of icing sugar and ground cinnamon.Ingredients30ml (2 tbsp) rum30ml (2 tbsp) currants1kg spinach or chard45ml (3 tbsp) olive oil1 small onion, chopped1 garlic clove, crushedSalt and freshly ground black pepper30ml (2 tbsp) pine nuts, toasted, plus extra for garnish6 sheets phyllo pastry10ml (2 tsp) icing sugar2.5ml ( tsp) ground cinnamonMethodWarm the rum in a small pot, stir in the currants and set aside to soak. Remove the stalks from the spinach, wash the leaves and cut into rough strips. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion till golden. Add the garlic and spinach, season and cook over high heat until the moisture has evaporated. Drain the currants if necessary - they should have soaked up all the rum so there's no liquid to throw away - and add to spinach with the pine nuts. Stir well, adjust seasoning and remove from heat. Allow to cool completely.Preheat the oven to 200C and grease or spray a 20cm springform pan. Use the phyllo pastry sheets to line the pan, placing them on top of each other at different angles so you have overhanging flaps to fold over the filling. Spoon in the spinach mixture, fold the overhanging pastry over and bake for 15 minutes.Combine the icing sugar and cinnamon and dust over the pastilla, then place under a preheated grill to caramelise. Carefully remove from the pan and serve immediately sprinkled with pine nuts.Serves 4-6..

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