Spanakopita Greek Spinach And Feta Pie Recipes

EASY GREEK SPINACH PIE FOR BEGINNERS (SPANAKOPITA)

Steps:

• If you choose to prepare this Greek spinach pie recipe with commercial phyllo dough, it is important to thaw completely the phyllo dough by putting it in the fridge from the previous day. For the beginners at working with phyllo, check the handling tips before start making the spanakopita.
• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
• To prepare this spinach pie recipe, sauté the onions in a large knob of butter until soft and turning golden. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the spinach in batches and cook until wilted. Cool, then tip into a bowl (leaving behind any excess liquid from the spinach) and mix in the nutmeg, feta, eggs, spring onion and season. This will be the filling of the spanakopita.
• For this spinach pie recipe you will need a non stick baking pan, about 20-22cm. Put the first sheet of filo in the pan and brush with butter, letting the excess hang over the sides. Keep going with the rest of the sheets, turning a little before adding each additional pastry sheet and brushing all over with butter. When all the pastry is used up, tip in the filling of the spanakopita and fold over the excess pastry to cover. If you like to prepare a larger pan of spanakopita for a big crowd, double the ingredients for the filling and use a 25*35 cm baking dish. Layer the 4-5 phyllo sheets to form the bottom of the spanakopita, tip in the filling and top with 4-5 more phyllo sheets.
• Butter the top of the spinach pie with melted butter and scar with a sharp knife. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes until the filo is crisp and golden.
• Leave the spanakopita cool down for 10-15 minutes before cutting into pieces. Serve the spinach pie with Greek feta salad. Enjoy!

SPANAKOPITA RECIPE (AUTHENTIC GREEK SPINACH PIE)

Steps:

• To prepare this spanakopita recipe start by making the phyllo dough first. (For step by step instructions Homemade phyllo dough). Alternatively use commercial phyllo dough.
• When done, heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
• To prepare the filling for this spanakopita recipe, sauté the onions in a large knob of butter until soft and turning golden. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the spinach in batches and cook until wilted. Cool, then tip into a bowl (leaving behind any excess liquid from the spinach) and mix in the nutmeg, feta, eggs, spring onion and season.
• For this spanakopita recipe you will need a non stick baking pan, about 25cm. Put the first sheet of filo in the pan and sprinkle with olive oil, letting the excess hang over the sides. Keep going with the rest of the sheets, turning a little before adding each additional pastry sheet and sprinkling with olive oil. Use 2-3 phyllo sheets, depending on how thick your phyllo is. Tip in the filling of the spanakopita and fold over the excess pastry to cover. If you like to prepare a larger pan of spanakopita for a big crowd, double the ingredients for the filling and use a 25*35 cm baking dish. Layer the 2-3 phyllo sheets to form the bottom of the spanakopita, tip in the filling and top with 2-3 more phyllo sheets.
• Brush the top of the spanakopita with olive oil and scar with a sharp knife. Bake in preheated oven for about 60 minutes until the phyllo is crisp and golden.
• Leave the spanakopita cool down for 10-15 minutes before cutting into pieces. Serve the spanakopita with Greek salad. Enjoy!

LIGHTER SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Pack the spinach into a large heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over and press the spinach down with a wooden spoon. Leave for 1 min to wilt, stirring a couple of times so all the leaves are submerged. Tip into a large colander and place under running cold water to cool quickly. Drain well - squeeze out any excess water by pressing the spinach down with the wooden spoon, then squeezing with your hands. Using kitchen paper, pat the spinach dry into a compact shape, lay it on a board and roughly chop, then set aside.
• Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the shallot, spring onions and garlic, and fry over a high-ish heat for 3-4 mins, stirring often, until softened and just starting to brown. Lower the heat, tip in the spinach and stir for 1 min only to finish drying. Season with pepper and a good pinch of nutmeg, and leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and put a baking sheet in to heat up. In a bowl, stir the ricotta into the beaten egg and mix in the 2 tbsp dill, the chives and mint. Season with pepper and a pinch of salt.
• Lightly oil a 20cm square x 4cm deep cake tin. Mix the remaining oil with the 1 rounded tsp dill. Lay the filo pastry sheets on a large board. Brush the top one with a little of the dill oil, then carefully lower it into the tin to line the base and 2 of the sides, with an overhang on both sides. The pastry doesn't have to fit in smoothly - a few wrinkles and folds in it are fine. Brush a bit more oil over the second pastry sheet and this time lay it down in the tin the other way round, so it drapes over and lines the base and the other 2 sides. The tin should now be completely covered, with a pastry overhang all round. Repeat the criss-cross layering with 2 more oiled filo sheets.
• Stir the ricotta mixture into the spinach, then crumble in the feta. Lightly stir it in so you leave a few chunky pieces. Spoon this filling into the lined tin and level it. Bring the pastry sides up and over the filling, then brush a little oil over them. Brush the remainder of the oil over the last filo sheet on the board. Cut the sheet in half widthways and lay one half over at a time, in big folds, to cover the filling and give you a pastry topping.
• Place the tin on the heated baking sheet and bake for 25-30 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden. Leave to cool for 10-15 mins. Remove the tin and transfer to a serving plate. If your tin doesn't have a loose bottom, carefully upturn it onto a flat board, then flip it over onto the serving plate. Serve warm or cold with minted yogurt dip and a tomato, cucumber & pepper salad (see below), if you like.

SPANAKOPITA (GREEK SPINACH PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

SPANAKOPITA: GREEK SPINACH PIE WITH FETA CHEESE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Wash and drain the chopped spinach very well. If using frozen spinach, thaw completely and squeeze out excess water. The spinach should be dry before you begin cooking.
• Heat 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a deep sauté pan or large Dutch oven. Sauté the onions and green onions until tender.
• Add the spinach, parsley, and dill , and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the spinach is wilted and heated through.
• Add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. The spinach mixture should be on the dry side; if using frozen spinach, you will want to cook it until any excess moisture evaporates. Remove from the heat and set the spinach mixture aside to cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the feta, eggs, and ricotta cheese.
• Add the cooled spinach mixture and mix until combined.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Combine the melted butter with the olive oil in a bowl. Using a pastry brush, lightly grease 2 (9 x 12-inch) rectangular pans.
• Carefully remove the phyllo roll from the plastic sleeve. Most packages come in 12 x 18-inch sheets when opened fully.
• Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, cut the sheets in half to make 2 stacks of 9 x 12-inch sheets. To prevent drying, cover 1 stack with wax paper and a damp paper towel while working with the other.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Layer about 10 sheets of phyllo on the bottom of each pan, making sure to brush each sheet with the butter-olive oil mixture before layering the next.
• Add half of the spinach mixture to each pan in an even layer and press with a spatula to flatten.
• Layer another 10 phyllo sheets on top of the spinach mixture in each pan, making sure to brush each sheet well with the butter-olive oil mixture.
• Before baking, score the top layer of the phyllo (making sure not to puncture the filling) to enable easier cutting of pieces later. (You can place the pan in the freezer to harden the top layers and then use a serrated knife to make the cutting easier.)
• Bake until the pie turns a deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Let cool for a few minutes and then slice, serve, and enjoy.

SPANAKOPITA RECIPE & HISTORY - TRADITIONAL GREEK SPINACH PIE

Steps:

• THAWN PHYLLO DOUGHThe Phyllo dough is hard to make at home, so I suggest you to buy it frozen. Thawn the Phyllo at room temperature a couple of hours or 1 night in the fridge.Leave the Phyllo dough rolled into its bag until the spinach filling is ready, then unroll and use.
• SPINACH AND SCALLIONSFirst of all, rinse the spinach thoroughly, then cut and discard the tougher ends of the stems. After that, cut roughly the spinach leaves. Now, reduce into thin rings 4 whole scallions and the white part of 8 other scallions. Pour the scallions in a pot big enough to cook the spinach along with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Saute the scallions over medium/low heat until tender but not brown, then add the spinach leaves along with 1 generous pinch of salt. Stir-fry the spinach until they lose almost all their liquid, then pour them into a colander, and press gently with a spoon to purge the rest of the water.
• PREPARE THE FILLINGPre-heat the oven to 355° F (180° C).Now, rinse and mince the herbs. Then, pour the spinach along with the Feta crumbles, and the Greek yogurt, and the minced herbs into a bowl. Complete with the black pepper, salt to taste and grated lemon skin. After that, crack 2 eggs and whisk a little, then add them to the other ingredients. Whisk eventually the Spanakopita filling until consistent.
• FILLING THE SPANAKOPITANow, unroll the phyllo dough, then grease a 10 inches square baking dish with olive oil. Then, proceed this way:• Line the casserole with 3 layers of phyllo leaving at least 2 inches of dough over the edges of the dish. If the sheets are not large enough, use two different groups phyllo layers overlapped a little in the center of the baking plate.• After that, grease with olive oil, and add 3 more layers of pastry, rotated 90 degrees to the first layers.• Then, pour the Spanakopita stuffing in the casserole and spread the mixture uniformly.• At this point, cover the mixture with 3 layers of dough, grease with a little amount of olive oil, then add 3 more layers of phyllo.• Finally, grease the pastry lid with 1 tbsp of beaten egg, and spray or use your hands to sprinkle a very little with water.• Bake immediately at 355° F (180°) for 45 to 55 minutes depending on your oven, until the crust become nicely golden and crispy.
• SERVING SPANAKOPITAOnce ready, let the Spanakopita reach lukewarm or room temperature, then cut and serve.

SPANAKOPITA RECIPE (GREEK SPINACH PIE)

Steps:

• Make the Filling:
• For Fresh spinach: In a large pan, wilt the spinach - you will likely have to work in batches - for about 4 minutes. Pour into a colander or, better yet, a salad spinner to drain any excess water. Roughly chop.
• If using frozen spinach, defrost spinach and squeeze out all excess moisture in a colander. Using a kitchen cloth or a cheese cloth helps.
• Chop the scallions and herbs.
• Transfer spinach, scallions, herbs to a large bowl.
• Add the both the cheeses, black pepper, and eggs.
• Mix well (I like to use my hands). Set aside the filling.
• Phyllo Crust/Assembling the pie:
• Preheat oven to 375ºF convection (if you have it).
• Melt 1 stick of butter in a pan or in the microwave. If using olive oil, pour out at least 1 cup in a bowl (you may need up to another 1/2 cup).
• Make sure the box of phyllo is at room temperature. When you're ready to use it (not before or it will dry out), unwrap it so it is in one rectangular pile.
• I like to trim my phyllo before assembling the spanakopita, so one rectangle easily fits into my baking pan with no overhang. **See note on phyllo.
• Dip your pastry brush in the melted butter or extra virgin and brush a 9" x 13" baking pan with butter or olive oil.
• Pick up one leaf of phyllo and lay it in the pan. Lightly brush phyllo with oil/butter. Repeat layering the phyllo buttering each individual leaf. Layer about half of the leaves(** see note) in your package on the bottom.
• Dampen a kitchen towel and lay it on top of the unused phyllo. This keeps them from drying out.
• Pour the filling on top of the phyllo leaves in the pan. Evenly distribute it across the pan.
• Start making your top crust by adding a leaf of phyllo, brushing it with butter or olive oil it and adding another on top. Repeat the process for the rest of the leaves.
• Make sure to butter/oil your top piece of phyllo.
• Score the pie with your knife. You should be able to divide the pie evenly into 12 square pieces.
• Bake pie until top is brown, and phyllo layers are visible (like in the photo) about 45 minutes, to an hour. Start checking for color after 30 minutes.