Prep 15 min Cook 35 min
Spanakopita is a traditional Greek spinach pie made with creamy feta cheese, sautéed onions and spinach all wrapped in fluffy Filo pastry. It makes a delicious appetizer, side dish or light meal when served with a salad.
My Greek grandmother used to make it when we visited her on weekends. In fact both she and her sister had a running battle on who made the best Spanakopita; defined by the taste of the stuffing and the flakiness of the Filo pastry.
The traditional way of cooking the dish is in a rectangular pie dish with a layer of Filo covering it. I prefer this more dramatic presentation in a round pan with nicely browned Filo encircling the green spinach filling.
I use the Filo pastry sheets as you would with pie crust to make a crostata. Just lay slightly oiled layers of Filo dough in a circular pie dish or cast iron skillet, fill the center with the feta and spinach filling, fold the pastry sheets towards the center but leaving much of the filling exposed.
Working with Filo does take a little getting used to. The sheets are so delicate they can easily tear although a few tears here and there will go unnoticed after it is baked. Once you get the hang of it you will be amply rewarded (and complimented on the result).
Spanakopita “Crostata Style”
by
Derek Farwagi
Equipment
- An 8-10”pie dish or cast iron skillet.
- A medium sized bowl to mix the stuffing.
- A small bowl to contain olive oil for basting.
- a small frying pan to sauté the onions
- You will also need a dedicated area to lay the Filo sheets and keep them covered with a wet kitchen towel to keep them damp and manageable while you oil the single sheets on a separate flat surface.
Ingredients
Before you start, make sure you have your defrosted the Filo pastry in the fridge overnight.
- 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil in a container for sautéing the onions and basting the sheets (you can also use oil spray on sheets)
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 lb frozen spinach
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint (or 1 tsp dried leaves)
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh dill, coarsely chopped ( or 2 tsp dried)
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup feta in brine, drained and coarsely crumbled
- zest of one lemon
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 20-24 sheets of Filo dough, thawed overnight in the fridge.
Instructions
- Set the oven to 350F (180C)
Prepare the filling
- Boil the frozen spinach according to package instructions- usually about 8-10 minutes.
- Put spinach in a sieve and spray it with cold water to cool it down. Press down hard using the back of a spoon until all the liquid is drained out of the spinach. To make sure there is no liquid left, take handfuls of spinach and with both hands squeeze out any remaining moisture. If there is any moisture left, the base of your pie will stay soft and leak. Set aside in sieve.
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium flame. Once hot, add onion and cook, stirring regularly until translucent.
- Add in the garlic. Reduce heat to low. Mix to combine and cook for 2 minutes.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix the cooked spinach, garlic, onion and chopped herbs. Set aside on a plate and rinse bowl.
- In the bowl, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest and any dried herbs with the eggs. Beat mixture thoroughly with fork. Mix in the spinach mixture then fold in the crumbled feta. Set aside.
Laying the Filo crust
- The process of laying the crust is simply laying overlapping and lighted basted strips of Filo sheets across the width of the pie dish and working around the circumference until the whole dish is covered.
- Lightly baste the bottom of the pie dish.
- Un-pack and gently unroll the thawed Filo sheets on a flat surface away from where you will basting and laying the sheets. Cover with a damp kitchen towel to keep the sheets damp. If they dry up they get brittle and may tear.
- Working with two sheets at a time, cut their width to a couple of inches less than the width of the pie dish you are using. Use the remaining thin strips to line the pie dish as well.
- Lay the two strips on your work surface, lightly baste both sides and lay them across the dish making sure that the edges overhang by about 3". Also baste and lay the thinner strips.
- Cut another two sheets to the same width, baste and lay them on the pie dish to mostly overlap the first sheets but off-center by about 2 inches. Also baste and lay the thinner strips.
- Work around the circumference of the dish until you have completed covered it.
- Add the spinach feta mixture to the skillet on top of the Filo layers. Spread into an even layer.
- Crinkle and fold the edges inward as you would with a crostata, leaving the center exposed. Brush the tops of the Filo sheets with any remaining oil.
Bake and serve
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until cooked through and the edges are golden brown.
- Let the pie cool down for a few minutes. Serve from the pie dish. A large green salad works well as a side dish.
Notes
Working with Filo
Most likely your Filo will be frozen. So, make sure you defrost in the refrigerator before using. Do not open the package before it has defrosted. Once it is defrosted, and you open the package do not attempt to pick up a sheet if it has not defrosted completely because it will break. Now that you are ready to work, make sure that you keep it covered completely with a damp kitchen towel, work with 2-3 sheets at a time. Make sure most of the surface of the phyllo is covered with melted butter or olive oil , otherwise you will have a paper like texture not a crispy one. Freezing Spanakopita You can refreeze thawed Filo sheets if you remember to cover the dough with a damp cloth while it is thawed. This prevents it from drying out. Just tightly wrap the sheets in plastic sheet. You can also freeze baked spanakopita, but expect the pastry to be a little less crispy, and the filling to lose some of its moisture.Nutrition
For other recipes that use the “crostata” technique of folding pastry and leaving the center bare, visit Tomato And Herb Crostata and Apple Crostata.
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