Greek Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)
12:08 μ.μ.
Pies are a HUGE tradition here in Greece.Spinach, potato, pumpkin, feta cheese, meat...Everything can be made into a pie.If you visit Greece you will definitely have the pleasure to taste a marvellous pie that will leave you questioning why you missed so many years of your life without eating it.The old women of Greece are pie experts and keepers of the secrets to make the crispier, tastier and finest phyllo.The process of making the phyllo is quite exhausting, because it requires effort (we are talking hours and hours of struggling with the rolling pin) and delicacy, but the results are definitely worth the hard work.My wonderful grandma tought me how to make phyllo since I was very little and now whenever I have time I love making my own handmade pie.
However, nowadays not everyone has the time and energy to make their own phyllo from scratch, myself included.That's why there are kind companies which come out with pre-made doughs of all kinds. Although, I must admit that there is nothing copmared to authentic handmade phyllo.Now that I rambled enough I am presenting you the best spanakopita ever!
The phyllo is crispy and the filling savory and mouth-watering.It is best enjoyed warm!
The ingredients are all kinds of greens we use in pies here in Greece.If you can't find some of them don't worry I have included common substitutions.That pie is full of green goodness so it is highly nutritious and a great way to get your vegetables in without munching on massive salads.Don't get me wrong, I love my salads, but sometimes my stomach can't handle that much volume of food!
The traditional reipe calls for feta cheese but I follow a vegan lifestyle so I don't do cheese.If you happen to have some authentic Greek feta or a vegan substitution for that, go ahead and add that in.Only beware and add less salt than what the recipe calls for.
The method is pretty simple.You just collect the greens and chop them finely.No particular skills needed.I addeed many tips to the method below so you can make the best pie you've ever had and not worry about anything!
Serves: 20 medium pieces
Prep. Time: 40'
Cooking Time: 60'
Total Time: 1 hour and 40'
Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)
Ingredients:
- 1 packet of phyllo (I used the one with 6 medium-thickness sheets)
- 10 cups finely chopped spinach
- 5 cups finely chopped chard (substitute more spinach)
- 3 1/2 cups finely chopped cervil (substitute more chard or spinach)
- 2 medium leeks (not the green leaves)
- 3 fresh spring onions
- 1 bunch of parsley (1 1/2 cups finely chopped)
- 1 bunch of dill
- 1 cup finely chopped spearmint
- 4-6 tbs olive oil + more for the phyllo
- 2 tsp of salt
- pepper to taste
- sesame seeds (optional)
Method:
1.Thaw the phyllo according to package instructions.
2.Wash all of your greens and herbs.Finely chop the leeks, spring onions, spinach, chard and put into a bowl with 2 tsp of salt.Let it sit for 15'.
3.Meanwhile finely chop the dill, parsley, spearmint and place into a second bowl.When the 15' are up, place the herbs into the first bowl (the one with the spinach) and let them sit again for at least 10 more minutes.Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius (350 F).
4.When the time is up, squeeze the greens with your hands and discard the liquid.You have to do this proccess four or five times until most of the water from the greens has been drained.Add the pepper and 4-6 tbs of olive oil, stir and set aside.
5.Place half of the phyllo sheets (I placed 3) onto an olive oil greased pan, greasing each phyllo evenly with a generous amount of olive oil.Add in the filling.Fold any excess phyllo onto the filling (like the picture above).Place the other half of the phyllo sheets, greasing again each phyllo evenly with a generous amount of olive oil.Cut the excess and use it in another recipe.Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
6.Cut only the upper half of the phyllo into 20 pieces, whichever way you prefer.Put your pie into the oven for 1 hour (I placed mine on the third rack).Enjoy!
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