Spanakotiropita Spinach And Cheese Pie Recipes

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.

SPANAKOTIROPITA (SPINACH AND CHEESE PIE)

Steps:

• Clean and rinse the spinach, drain well, squeezing it gently by hand.
• Sautee the onion in the olive oil.
• Shred the spinach roughly and add it to the onion.
• Stir over medium heat to get it all coated in the olive oil. Do not add any water. Cover and cook gently for 5-6 minutes.
• Add salt, pepper, parsley and fennel and keep aside to cool down a little.
• Crumble the feta cheese into the beaten eggs.
• If the spinach mixture when cooled has produced a lot of liquid, drain it.
• before adding to the cheese and egg mixture.Season and mix well.
• Do not add any more salt as feta is quite salty.
• Unfold the roll of pastry onto a flat surface, place the container (it should be a metal oven dish with approximate size 39x28x8 cm) you are going.
• to use on top of this and measure it roughly.
• Keep in mind that fyllo shrinks once cooked so be generous with cutting away with a knife the leftover strip, if there is one.
• Oil the base and the side of the container with melted butter.
• Coat the uppermost sheet of pastry and spread it carefully on the bottom of.
• the container trying to avoid creasing. Oil the next sheet of pastry and spread it on the top of the previous.
• Place in the same fashion 8 layers fyllo on the bottom of the container and spread on the filling. Cover the filling with 8 layers of oiled fyllo without pressing it down.
• Oil the top layer well and cut only the top layers into diamond or square.
• shapes with a small sharp knife.
• Be careful not to cut the bottom layers of pastry.
• Cook in a preheated oven at 190 grades C for 40 minutes until the pastry.
• puffs up and the top becomes golden and crisp.
• When cooked, let it stand for 10 minutes and then cut the pre-shaped pieces.
• all the way down to the bottom of the tin, take them out and place them on.
• a flat platter.

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.)