Name: Vegan Spanakopita Skillet
Prep time: 13 min
Cook time: 31 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 16 servings
Cuisine: greek
Ingredients: 150 g cashews or sunflower seeds; 1 null lemon zest (of 1 unwaxed lemon); 60 ml lemon juice; 8 g white miso paste; 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg (scant, adjust to taste); null to_taste ground black pepper (adjust to taste); 10 g nutritional yeast; 2 tbsp plant milk; 600 g fresh spinach; 1 null leek (1 long); 6 null spring onions (/ scallions); 4 null garlic cloves; 90 ml quality olive oil (divided); 10 g mint; 7 g dill; 15 g flat leaf parsley; 250 g vegan phyllo (thawed in the fridge); null to_garnish nigella or sesame seeds ((optional))

Instructions

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1

Soak cashews or sunflower seeds (150 g) in boiling water for 20 minutes.
2

Blanch fresh spinach (600 g) in 4 batches for about 40 seconds each, then plunge into cold water. Cool completely.
3

Wring the spinach dry thoroughly. You can use hands first, then a colander and potato masher to extract more water.
4

Thinly slice the white and light green parts of the onions (6 spring) and leek (1 long). Dice the cloves (4 garlic) finely.
5

Heat quality olive oil (2 tbsp) in a small pan. Gently pan-fry the sliced leek (1 long) and onions (6 spring) until softened. Add the diced cloves (4 garlic) and continue cooking until fragrant and soft. Cool completely.
6

In a food processor, blend the drained cashews or sunflower seeds (150 g) with lemon zest (1 unwaxed), lemon juice (60 ml), a few pinches of [salt], some [ground black pepper], white miso paste (8 g), nutritional yeast (10 g), ground nutmeg (0.25 tsp), and plant milk (2 tbsp). Process until super smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Avoid adding extra liquid unless absolutely necessary.
7

Finely chop the leaves of mint (10 g), dill (7 g), and flat leaf parsley (15 g).
8

Combine the well-chopped and dried fresh spinach (600 g) with the chopped [fresh herbs], cashew cream, and sautéed leek mixture in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly and season to taste. Overseason slightly to account for the blandness of store-bought phyllo.
9

Preheat the oven to 180° C / 355° F (fan) or 200° C / 390° F (no fan). Grease a 25 cm / 10" skillet with [olive oil].
10

Line the skillet with a sheet of [vegan phyllo], allowing excess to hang over one side. Brush with [olive oil]. Repeat with additional sheets, overlapping and rotating slightly until you've used all but one pastry sheets. Ensure a fan-like arrangement around the skillet.
11

Crumple the remaining phyllo pastry (1 vegan) sheet and place it on the bottom of the skillet, directly underneath where the filling will go. Brush with [olive oil] and then evenly spread all of the spinach filling on top.
12

Fold the overhanging phyllo pastry over the filling, crumpling each sheet and brushing it lightly with [olive oil]. Sprinkle with [nigella or sesame seeds] if desired. Heat the pan on the stove for a couple of minutes, then bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
13

Allow the spanakopita to set for about 30 minutes after baking. Store leftovers in the fridge for 1-2 days and reheat in a 160° C / 320° F (fan) oven until crispy, covering with foil if browning too much.