Spanakopita - Spinach Pie

Where do I begin with Spanakopita? Well, besides being my favorite Greek pastry, this delicious piece of greek culture is a big tradition in our family. No holiday or special occasion goes without the presence of Spanakopita on our table. Throughout the years, Yiayia has made it in many different shapes and sizes, but my favorite is what I call the triangle Spanakopita. Yiayia says it is harder and takes more time to make it into triangles, but today is my attempt to see how difficult it actually is.

You will need:

1 lb. bag of Chopped Frozen Spinach

1 Bunch of Parsley

1/2 Bunch of Dill

1 Bunch of Scallions (about 8 green onions)

1 Large White Onion

2 Blocks of Domestic Feta (about 1/2 Lb.)

2 Eggs

Salt & Pepper to taste

Ingredients for the stuffing



On a cutting board, chop the White Onion, Parsley, Dill, and Scallions finely and put the ingredients to the side separately.

Ingredients chopped finely and kept separate

The Frozen Spinach will need some straining once it has defrosted. I poured the spinach in a colander and ran hot water on top of it. I then took a paper towel and added handfuls of spinach in the paper towel. I squeezed the spinach inside the towel until most of the water was gone and spinach was molded. After straining all the spinach, I put it in a separate bowl. I then took out a large non-stick frying pan and added olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of it). I heated the oil and added the white onions to saute.

White Onions Sauteing in Olive Oil

Once the onions have sauteed, add the frozen chopped spinach and turn heat to medium. Make sure to mix it often and watch that the flame is not too hot as it can dry out the spinach and onion. Cook the spinach for about 5 minutes and then add the rest of the greens (Scallions, Parsley, and Dill) to the pan. Mix often and well. (If the mix seems too dry, add a little bit of olive oil to the mix)

Add Ground Pepper (I put about 2 Tbsp) to your liking, and add a pinch of salt. Crumble the feta over the mix and stir into the mix (at this time, taste the mix to see if it needs more salt. Most likely the Feta itself is salty enough). Turn the heat to low.

Crumbled Feta on top of the Stuffing



After you mix the feta into the stuffing, add 2 eggs and quickly stir/mix together with the stuffing. (make sure you do not allow the egg to cook/scramble). Continue stirring and turn off the flame. Allow the mix to cool (I would put it in the refrigerator or if it's cold enough, put it outside.)



The final look of the stuffing

The next step will be to get the Fillo Dough prepared. You will need:

1 Box of Fillo Dough (The thickness of it is your choice, I used #7)

1 Stick of Margarine, Butter, or Olive Oil (I mixed 1/2 Margarine 1/2 Olive Oil)

Baking Pan

Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Brush

1.) Cut the Fillo into portions. I cut mine into 3 portions of approx 4" length. I was later told by Yiayia Kiki that I was supposed to do 4 portions of approx 3" length...oops! Not a big deal though, it just makes much bigger Pita's. Open up 1 portion and put the other ones that are not being used under a towel so they do not dry out. From the portion, take 1 fillo and place it on a flat surface. I suggest you have a large spacious area to do this on, I used the entre table.

2.) Melt the butter, or margarine. With a brush, apply the butter to the fillo focusing specifically on the outer edges. Do not be too rough. Fillo is very delicate and will tear apart easily.

3.) Scoop up the stuffing with a tablespoon. Place the stuffing on along the bottom of the fillo.

4.) Gently grab the bottom left corner of the fillo and bring it over and upwards the stuffing.

5.) Take the lowes corner of the fillo and lift it directly above. Make sure the stuffing is tucked firmly into the fillo while doing this.

6.) Continue these steps until you get to the top. For example, in the picture above: the next step would be to fold the fillo over to the left, then you would fold it up above the left side, then you would fold it over to the right, then fold it up above the right side

7.) It should look like a square before the final fold that makes it into a triangle. The final fold will be over to the left side.

8.) After making about 10 of these, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Take your baking pans and spray them with non-stick cooking spray. Start placing your spanakopita's on the tray and make sure you brush the top of the pita with spread of your choice.

9.) Place the pita's in the oven. If they start browning too soon, turn your oven down to 350 degrees. Approximate baking time is 10-15 minutes. If you like them extra brown and cripsy, keep them in for longer but remember to always keep a close eye on them!

Kali Orexi!!! Happy Eating!

- Sophia Eleni