Lavender & hazelnut baklava

Ingredients Filo pastry, hazelnuts, lavender jam, butter

Preparation: 1 hour

I love the sticky, crispy combination of Baklava, but whilst honey and pistachio is an incredible combination... it's Autumn and my cupboards are full of hazelnuts, so I thought I'd experiment a little! Typically for me, lavender was first on my list in terms of a sweet, sticky syrup and I think this works really well.

1) Finely chop your hazelnuts or grind in a mortar and pestle until fine crumbs have formed.

2) Stir in a little melted butter to form a relatively dry nut paste.

3) Line a roasting dish with a sheet of filo pastry and top with a layer of the hazelnut paste, a sheet of filo, another layer of the hazelnut paste and repeat for at least 8 layers, pressing down firmly to ensure that they stick.

4) Trim the excess filo from the outside, and cut a cross-hatch through the filo to form diamond shaped portions. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for about 50 minutes, until the pastry is golden bubbly.

5) Pour the lavender jam over the hot pastry, allowing it to soak through the layers.

Spanakopita

Ingredients  900g spinach leaves, 2 eggs, 200g feta, 6-8 sheets filo pastry, nutmeg, butter

Serves: 6 Preparation: 30 minutes


I am a spinach junkie, I simply cannot get enough of it. I eat the leaves from the bag like a packet of crisps, I put it in salad, soup, curry, pasta, dips... if I go a few days without eating it I crave it and this Greek tart is something I come back to time and time again because it's sheer melt in the mouth spinach perfection.


1) Steam the spinach (you will have to do this in batches because it's a LOT of spinach!) - if you don't have a steamer, you can use a colander over a pan of boiling water - just keep stirring it to ensure that the spinach is evenly steamed and not mush at the bottom!


2) Squeeze the water from the spinach - the best method I find is to simply pick up the spinach and squeeze it over the sink/a bowl but don't burn your hands. Use rubber gloves if you don't have asbestos skin like I do, alternatively press with a wooden spoon.


3) Beat 2 eggs in a bowl and grate 1/4 a teaspoon of nutmeg into the eggs. Nutmeg brings out the flavour of spinach but we don't want it to flavour this dish so be sparing. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.


4) Stir in the spinach and crumble in the feta (you can cut into cubes if you want to be more precise). If you don't like feta you could use goats cheese but this dish works best with an old, stinky sharp feta - mine was barrel aged and could take the roof off your mouth!


5) Line a cake tin with filo pastry, brushing each sheet with a little melted butter to help it stick together. Fill the cake tin with the spinach and feta mix, packing it down gently. Draw the filo pastry together to seal the pie - you can always lay an extra sheet, brushed with butter, over the top if the ends don't quite meet.


6) Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the top is golden brown and cut into slices to serve. This can be reheated in the microwave but the filo will become soft once it cools so crisp it back up under the grill!