Hortopita Epirotiki

Ingredients

• 500g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1 tsp salt
• 60ml olive oil, plus 120ml for brushing
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 280ml warm water
• 1.2kg mixed greens such as nettle, dandelion, chard, sorrel, spinach and wild fennel
• 1 tsp salt, for wilting the greens
• 6 spring onions, sliced
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• 30g dill, chopped
• 15g mint, chopped
• 200g feta, crumbled
• 2 tbsp fine cornmeal
• Freshly ground black pepper

Before you cook

• Wash the greens in several changes of cold water and shake them dry.
• Strip out any tough stalks and chop the leaves finely.
• Toss the chopped greens with a teaspoon of salt and leave them for 20 minutes to wilt and weep.
• Slice the spring onions and leek, and chop the dill and mint.

Steps

1. Pile the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the middle.
2. Pour in the 60ml of olive oil, the vinegar and most of the warm water.
3. Mix to a soft dough, adding the last of the water only if it feels dry.
4. Knead for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and springs back when you press it.
5. Wrap the dough and rest it at room temperature for 1 hour.
6. Squeeze the wilted greens hard, a handful at a time, and drop them into a dry bowl.
7. Add the spring onions, leek, dill, mint, 3 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil and plenty of black pepper.
8. Mix the filling with your hands, then crumble in the feta and turn it through gently.
9. Heat the oven to 200C.
10. Oil a 35cm round baking tin generously.
11. Divide the dough into four pieces, making two of them slightly larger.
12. Roll one larger piece on a floured surface into a sheet wider than the tin and as thin as you can get it.
13. Lay the sheet into the tin so it overhangs the rim, and brush it with olive oil.
14. Roll and lay the second large sheet on top the same way, and brush it with oil again.
15. Scatter the cornmeal over the base to catch the juices from the greens.
16. Spread the filling evenly across the pastry.
17. Roll the last two pieces into sheets, laying them over the filling and brushing oil between them.
18. Roll the overhanging edges inwards to make a thick rope of pastry around the rim.
19. Score the top into portions with a sharp knife, cutting through the upper sheets only.
20. Brush the top with olive oil and flick a little water over it to help it crisp.
21. Bake for 50 minutes, until the pastry is deep gold and crackles when tapped.
22. Rest the pie for 20 minutes before cutting it along the scored lines.