Spanakopizza Recipes

SPANAKOPIZZA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Stretch out your dough on to a pizza stone or into a pizza pan. Pierce the dough with a fork, drizzle the dough with a touch of extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle it with oregano. Bake dough 10 minutes.
• While the pizza dough bakes, heat a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil (1 turn of the pan) in a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add butter to the warm oil, then the chicken or turkey. Lightly brown the meat 3 to 4 minutes, then add the chopped red onion, garlic and grill seasoning and cook 5 minutes more. Wring the defrosted spinach dry by twisting it in a clean kitchen towel over your sink. Add it to the meat, separating it with your fingers. Add in feta crumbles.
• Once the pizza has cooked 10 minutes, remove dough and top evenly with meat and spinach mixture. Cover the pizza with shredded mozzarella or provolone, roasted peppers and olives. Bake pizza another 13 to 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is crisp.
• Remove pizza from oven, top with chopped parsley or arugula, cucumbers and hot peppers and serve.

SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Place oven rack in center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
• Preheat a small pan over medium to medium high heat. Add oil and onion and saute 5 minutes. Place onion in a bowl. Add chopped dry, defrosted spinach and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add feta to the bowl and combine it with spinach. Add beaten egg and sour cream to the bowl and combine with cheese, spinach and onion.
• On a large work surface, place 1 sheet of phyllo. Paint half of the sheet with a little melted butter, paying extra attention to your perimeter. Fold sheet in half. Pile 1/4 of your spinach mixture into a log shape working 2 inches from bottom and each side. Tuck bottom up and fold both sides in, then roll and wrap upwards until you reach the edge of the dough sheet. Each pastry will resemble an egg roll. Paint the seam and the ends of the roll with butter and set roll seam side down on a cookie sheet. Repeat and make 4 rolls. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly golden all over and serve.

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

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, scallions and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes.
• In batches, stir in spinach until wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Strain spinach mixture through a sieve, pressing out excess liquid to prevent a soggy crust. Transfer to a large bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs, feta, Parmesan and parsley and stir until combined.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch pan (2 inches deep) with butter. Lay one half sheet of phyllo dough in baking dish. Using a pastry brush, brush dough with butter. Repeat 7 more times to form crust. Spread spinach mixture evenly over crust. Brush one half sheet of phyllo dough with butter and lay on top of filling, butter side up. Repeat with remaining 7 sheets of dough. Using a serrated knife, lightly score top layer of dough into squares (this will make it easier to cut once baked). Bake until crust is lightly golden and filling is heated through, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm.

BAKED SPANAKOPITA PASTA WITH GREENS AND FETA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
• In a 3-quart/9-by-13-inch baking dish, toss the chopped spinach, arugula, herbs and scallion greens with 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Squeeze the mixture with your hands to wilt, then set aside.
• Cook the pasta in the boiling water until 2 minutes shy of al dente; reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain pasta and set aside. Return the pot to the stove.
• Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat. Add the scallion whites, garlic and a pinch of salt, and sauté until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cream cheese and pasta water and stir until smooth. Stir in the wilted greens, half the mozzarella and half the feta until combined. Stir in the pasta until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
• Transfer the pasta to the baking dish, then top with remaining mozzarella and feta. Bake until the sauce has thickened and bubbly and the top has browned in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. If you like a crisper top, broil for a few minutes.

DEEP DISH SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Defrost the spinach and phyllo dough in the fridge overnight.
• For the filling, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened and lightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parsley, dill, red pepper flakes, nutmeg and lemon zest. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Drain the spinach through a strainer lined with a clean kitchen towel or a few layers of sturdy paper towel. Gather the spinach up in the towel and squeeze out as much of the water as possible. Transfer to a bowl and add the lemon juice and feta. Stir in the cooled onion mixture and the egg.
• Retrieve the phyllo from the fridge, unroll it and cover it with a clean kitchen towel to keep it from drying out. Place a 9-inch springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet and brush the bottom and sides lightly with butter. Lay out one sheet of phyllo, brush with butter and transfer it to the prepared pan. There is no need to be extra careful here - the phyllo might tear, crack or rumple up a bit but that just makes for more texture in the end result. Layer on two more buttered sheets of phyllo across the bottom of the pan.
• Continue buttering the phyllo as before but begin placing the remaining sheets off-center around the pan so that their edges overlap in the center of the base and the other edge hangs over the sides, gently pressing along the bottom and up the sides to create a crust. Transfer the spinach filling into the phyllo crust and spread into an even layer.
• Gather and fold the overhanging phyllo overtop of the edges of the spinach, leaving the center bit of spinach exposed. Brush the phyllo with remaining butter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan and serving.

SPANAKOPITA (SPINACH TRIANGLES OR PIE)

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan, add half of the spinach and saute until spinach wilts, tossing with tongs, about 2 minutes. Remove spinach and squeeze out excess liquid, then chop roughly. Repeat with remaining spinach, using 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Pour off any liquid from the pan, and add remaining olive oil. Add scallions and saute until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach to the scallions, along with the parsley, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. (This part can be done ahead and kept refrigerated).
• Stir the feta and as much beaten egg to moisten the cooled spinach mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a baking sheet with some of the melted butter.
• Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper and a damp towel so it doesn't dry out and become brittle. Using a sharp knife, cut the filo into 3 by 11 inch strips, and recover with the towel. Use a pastry brush to brush a strip of filo with melted butter. Place a small spoonful of spinach filling 1 inch from the end of the pastry. Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle, then continue to fold up the strip in triangles, like folding up a flag. Continue with remaining strips of dough, placing filled triangles on the baking sheet and keeping them covered with a towel until all are ready to bake.
• Brush the triangles lightly with butter, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Serve hot. (These may be frozen before baking, layering waxed paper between layers of triangles to keep them from sticking. Bake frozen triangles an extra 10 minutes.)

SPANAKOPIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Sauté the garlic and onions as directed in the master recipe, #216. Remove from the heat to cool.
• Form the dough into a 12-inch pizza. Place on a pizza pan or large cookie sheet. Prepare the roasted pepper and olive topping and spread over the dough in a thin layer. Dot the pizza with the 2 boxes of defrosted and wrung spinach and the sautéed garlic and onions. Top with the shredded mozzarella or cheese blend and the feta crumbles. Sprinkle the oregano over the cheese. Bake the pizza until golden and bubbly all over, about 17 minutes.
• Scatter the arugula, diced tomatoes, and, if using, the hot peppers (a must for me) over the pizza, cut into wedges, and serve.

SKILLET SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• In a large (preferably 10-inch) cast-iron skillet, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add one large handful of spinach at a time, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and stir until wilted, until you've added and seasoned all of the spinach and the mixture is thoroughly combined, about 12 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool.
• Arrange an oven rack in the middle position, and heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the parsley, dill, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, and nutmeg, and stir to combine. Working with about 1 cup at a time, transfer the spinach mixture to a fine-mesh strainer or sieve set in the sink and press the mixture to remove as much liquid as possible, then add to the parsley mixture. Stir to combine, and season to taste with salt and pepper. (Feta is salty, so season very lightly with salt here.) Stir in the eggs, then gently fold in the feta, doing your best to leave the larger chunks intact.
• Prepare the phyllo crust: Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel. In a small saucepan over low heat or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave, melt the remaining 5 tablespoons butter; set aside. Brush the bottom and sides of the skillet with melted butter. Working quickly with one phyllo sheet at a time, lightly brush the top of one sheet with butter, then lay it in the skillet, buttered-side up, with an overhang on all sides. Gently press it in to eliminate any large air bubbles between the phyllo and the pan. Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets, rotating each sheet in a different direction as you add it.
• Spoon the spinach-feta mixture into the skillet, spreading in an even layer. Working with one tip of overhanging phyllo dough at a time, starting with the top layer first, lift it over the spinach-feta mixture and toward the center of the pan, loosely crinkling it as you go. Repeat with all of the phyllo sheets, then lightly brush the exposed surface of the phyllo with butter. (You should have a circle of uncovered spinach-feta mixture in the center, surrounded by a ring of crinkled phyllo dough.)
• Cook over medium heat on the stovetop for about 5 minutes to crisp the bottom crust. Transfer to middle rack of the oven, and bake until phyllo is golden and the filling is warmed, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from oven, and let sit 10 minutes to cool and firm up. Sprinkle small sprigs of parsley and dill over the spinach-feta mixture, if desired. Slice into 6 to 8 wedges to serve. The spanakopita can be served warm or at room temperature.