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Main Ingredient: Vegetables
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Cook Time: Under 1 Hour
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Serves: Party Nibbles for Many
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Recipe by: Le Creuset
Le Creuset Tapas Dishes are ideal for a Greek-inspired feast served alongside a vibrant Greek salad. Make in advance, then warm and serve just as your guests arrive. These Stoneware Tapas Dishes can be used for much more than just Spanish dishes and nibbles. They are extremely versatile and can be used in the oven and under the grill.
Roasted Spiced Chickpeas: Chickpeas are widely used in Greek cooking, traditionally used in a classic chickpea stew called Revithada. Chickpeas are a great flavour carrier making this a super tasty, aromatic dish.
Mini Spanakopita: Spanakopita or spinach pie is a Greek savoury pastry that traditionally comprises of spinach, feta cheese and onions. With the addition of nutty toasted pine nuts and the fresh flavours of mint and dill, this mini spanakopita is a stunning little dish served straight to the table in a Stoneware Tapas dish.
Gigantes Plaki: Gigantes Plaki is a Greek dish known in English as giant baked beans. The name Gigantes comes from the Greek word for giants, hence giant beans and this is a great dish for people to dip bread in and eat alongside other mezze dishes.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Roasted Spiced Chickpeas
Preheat the oven to 200˚C/ Fan 180 ˚C/ Gas Mark 6
1. Wash and drain the chickpeas thoroughly. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir together, thoroughly coating the chickpeas in all the spices.
2. Spoon the chickpeas into the two tapas dishes and place in the preheated oven to roast for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time.
3. Season with cracked black pepper and a pinch of sea salt and then serve.
Mini Spanakopita
Preheat the oven to 180˚C/ Fan 160 ˚C/ Gas Mark 5
1. Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until golden. Set aside to cool before roughly chopping.
2. In the same pan warm a dash of oil and fry the onion for 4 – 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic along with a pinch of salt and fry for a further 1 minute. Stir through the oregano and spinach leaves until wilted and remove from the heat.
3. Tip the onion mixture into a large bowl and allow it to cool. Finely chop the mint and dill and add to the bowl along with a good crack of black pepper to taste and the chopped pine nuts. Crumble in the feta and stir in the ricotta to mix all the ingredients together.
4. Lay a sheet of filo pastry out on a work surface and brush lightly with a little of the beaten egg. Layer over another layer of filo and smooth out to bond the layers. Spoon half the ricotta mixture along the long edge of the filo in a sausage shape approximately 2cm from the edge. Fold over the filo to encase the mixture and roll up into a long sausage. Starting from one end, curl the filo sausage into a spiral and place in the middle of the tapas dish.
5. Repeat the process with the remaining filo sheets and mixture. This time curl the filo sausage around the outside of the first spiral to fill the dish. Brush with the melted butter or oil and bake in the preheated oven for 15 – 20 minutes, until golden and crisp.
Gigantes Plaki
Preheat the oven to 180˚C/ Fan 160 ˚C/ Gas Mark 4
1. In a frying pan, heat a little oil and add the onions. Fry for 4 – 5 minutes until the onions have softened before adding the garlic and a pinch of salt. Fry for a further minute stirring to ensure the onion does not burn.
2. Add the oregano, smoked paprika and cinnamon to the pan. Fry for a further minute to toast the spices, stirring continuously.
3. Stir through the tomato puree before pouring in the tomatoes. Wash and drain the butter beans then add to the pan along with a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes require sweetening. Stir through half the chopped parsley.
4. Spoon the beans into the 2 Stoneware Tapas Dishes and sprinkle with a little feta if desired. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
5. To serve, sprinkle with the remaining parsley and toast on the side for dipping.
Cook’s Notes:
- This Spanakopita is best served warm but is also tasty at room temperature. Get ahead of the game before your guests arrive and make the Spanakopita up until the baking stage – store in the fridge and simply bake just before you’re ready to eat. Note, if your spanakopita has been in the fridge, you may need to add an extra 5 minutes to the cooking time.
- Gigantes Plaki also makes for a great brunch dish. Add chopped chorizo when frying the onions and serve on top of slices of buttery toast.
