"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." Hunter S. Thompson

Leek, white cabbage and spinach pie

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus extra for brushing
• 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• .5 white cabbage, finely shredded (500g prepared weight)
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2 leeks, trimmed and cut into thin rings (450g prepared weight)
• .5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chilli powered
• 1.25 tsp salt
• 400g baby leaf spinach
• 50g pine nuts
• 40g parsely leaves
• 20g dill leaves
• 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
• 6 sheets filo pastry
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds, to decorate

Method

1. In a large frying pan for which you have a lid, heat the oil on a mdeium hight flame. Add the onion, fry, stirring, for five minutes, then add the cabbage and a tablespoon of water. Stir, then pop on the lid and leave to cook for five minutes, until the cabbage and onion are both soft. Add the garlic and leeks, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the leeks unravel.
2. Stir in the spices and salt, turn the heat down low and add the spinach handful by handful - it will eventually reluctantly behave and wilt down, but that may take some time. Once the spinach has wilted, stir in the pine nuts, herbs and lemon juice, and cook for five to eight minutes until the spinach settles into the mix and the liquid at the bottom of the pan reduces to a mere trace. Taste the seasoning and leave to cool.
3. Heat the oven to 200c (180c fan)/gas 6. To build the pie, brush the inside of a round pie dish generously with oil and lay in a sheet of filo pastry, allowing the excess to hang over the sides. Brush wth a little oil and lay down another sheet of filo pastry over the top at a slight angle to its predecessor. Moving in a clockwise direction, repeat with all the pastry sheets.
4. Squash the folling against the side of the pan to remove excess liquid, then spoon it into the filo-lined dish and even out with the back of a spoon. Fold the overhanging pastry over the filling , crumpling it a little to add height and texture to the pie. Brush all over with more oil, scatter over the sesame seeds and bake for 30 minutes until golden and crisp.
5. Remove, leave to cool, then slice into generous portions and serve warm or at room temperature.