Lamb, Spinach, & Feta Phyllo Pie; letters to Santa

We’ve been enjoying the lamb we bought last summer. Almost all of the smaller packages have been eaten and one of the shoulders. That left us with 2 legs, another shoulder and the neck.

A lamb is not very big, but when one is only cooking for two it can seem endless.

I’m doing the neck this weekend although I’m not quite sure how yet. One of the legs is going to substitute for our Christmas ham…. Because we have the leg and we can’t get the ham this year.

I did the other leg last week, Slow-Roasted, Moroccan Style.

That was the first night. It was followed by several nights of leftovers.

This Phyllo Pie was the second night.

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Lamb, Spinach, & Feta Phyllo Pie

Print Recipe

This is reminiscent of the Greek Spanakopita, with spinach and feta. It’s easy to make with purchased phyllo, thawed spinach from the freezer and leftover lamb.

• Author: Katie
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: Pie

Ingredients

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• 6 sheets phyllo
• 1 – 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8oz (250gr) frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
• 8oz (250gr) leftover / cooked lamb, cut into small pieces
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp za’atar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (4oz, 120gr) Greek yogurt
• 3oz (90gr) feta, crumbled
• 12 – 15 dry-cured Greek olives, chopped

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Instructions

• Heat 1 tbs oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
• Add onion and sauté 6 – 8 minutes, until tender. Remove from heat.
• Add spinach and stir to loosen and combine spinach with the onions.
• In a large bowl whisk eggs, yogurt, and spices.
• Stir in feta, olives, lamb and spinach mixture.
• Lightly oil a 10″ (25 cm) pie or quiche plate.
• Working quickly, keeping remaining phyllo sheets covered:
• Lay one sheet of phyllo flat and lightly brush all over with olive oil
• Place in quiche plate and, using the side of your hand, shape it to fit the inside, leaving the edges hang over the side.
• Repeat with remaining 5 sheets of phyllo, placing each one at a ‘1/6 turn’ of the quiche plate.
• Put the lamb & spinach filling in the plate and spread out evenly.
• Loosely fold the edges of the phyllo over the top. Mine did barely reached the center.
• Bake, 400F (200C) for 30 minutes. The top should be golden brown.
• Remove and let stand 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

You could use raw lamb and fry it along with the onions, or use any other meat… Leftover turkey?
Remember that phyllo dries out quickly so cover the remaining sheets loosely as you work.
It’s easier to handle if you put the pie on a baking sheet before filling.

I got an email the other day, from the secretary at the North Pole.

The French postal system, La Poste, was kind enough to send it on behalf of Père Noël / Father Christmas / Santa Claus.

It was to remind all of the parents and children that they needed to get their Christmas letters in before the 15th of December. Life at the North Pole starts to get pretty hectic about then and the elves want to be able to answer all of the letters they get.

There were instructions on how to properly send the letter: Père Noël on the front and the return address on the back, don’t put a stamp on it but remember to seal the envelope, and drop it into any post box.

That was followed by a note saying that the elves know how hard it is to wait for Christmas so there were some games that the kids could play on the Père Noël website…. free, of course.

My parents always told me that Santa Claus would find my letter if I just left it on the kitchen table but he was much too busy to answer it.

I guess he was busy answering all the letters from the French children…..

Seriously, there is a staff of people who read and answer the letters to Santa Claus here. Every child who writes will receive a handwritten letter in return – not a form letter, but a real letter.

I love that.