Recipe Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

[The Late Night Gourmet]

This is one of my favorite things to make. I can't claim credit for the recipe, since it's mostly Ina Garten's fantastic Spanakopita recipe. I was out of nutmeg, so I used mace. Still delicious!

Ingredients

2 cups red onions, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
20 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
4 large eggs, beaten
1 1⁄2 teaspoons nutmeg, grated
1⁄3 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
6 ounces feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1⁄3 cup pine nuts
1⁄4 cup light butter, melted
6 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a medium saute pan on medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until translucent and slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the salt and pepper and allow to cool slightly.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and stir to ensure that all of it is covered in the water. Boil until the spinach turns a bright green color, about 1 minute, then drain. Squeeze out and discard as much of the liquid from the spinach as possible.

4. Pulse the pine nuts in a food processor if desired. Gently mix the spinach with the onions, eggs, nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, feta, and pine nuts.

5. Butter a casserole pan and lay a sheet of phyllo dough sideways so it hangs over the sides. Place a damp cloth over the remaining sheets of phyllo dough so they don't dry out. Brush the part of the phyllo dough that's in the pan with butter, then press another sheet over the top of it in the same way. Continue alternating sheets of phyllo dough with butter until there are 6 sheets in the pan.

6. Pour the spinach mixture into the middle of the phyllo dough in the pan. Fold up the hanging edges of the first sheet of phyllo dough so it covers the spinach mixture, then brush with butter.

7. Continue this pattern with the remaining sheets flaps until the spinach filling is sealed. Pinch together any open spots. Brush the rest of the butter over the top of the pastry.

8. Bake for 1 hour, until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.

 

[Morning Glory]

I love it. It is a favourite of mine.

 

[Francesca]

I am a grand fan of Greek Classic Meze ..

Nice !!! Thanks for posting ..

The ingredients in mine are:
Goat Cheese Feta
Fresh Spinach
Phyllo of course
To Glaze: 1 Egg White lightly beaten to brush the Phyllo
Salt and freshly ground White peppercorns
Greek Evoo
Parsley Fresh minced
2 tiny shallots
Minced garlic
Pinenuts
Fresh minced Orégano
Fresh minced Genovese Basil
Fresh minced Thyme
Salt to taste
And a tiny bit of Greek Cheese called: Kasseri or Kefaloytri ..

I also prepare mine in individual triangles ..

 

[Elawin]

The spanakopita I've had in the past was made by Greeks either in a tiny very rural village in Greece or in a café which sold nothing else but pitas (either spinach, cheese, or minced lamb) in our town in Germany with its large Greek community. It certainly never had cheese in it, or nuts. My old Greek cookery book has two recipes in it - one with cheese is flavoured with dill and parsley only; the other with no cheese uses mixed Greek mountain herbs of your choice (if they are available - and they do taste different to the normal ones we grow or buy in the UK - and quote "certainly some chopped dandelion". It also lists anise or aniseed as an optional extra. Neither version has nuts in it. I have made it either way (unfortunately without authentic Greek herbs, and sometimes with a touch of fennel seed instead of aniseed), but usually make the version without cheese. I have even been known to use a mix of Swiss chard and spinach, when chard is in season (usually to use up leftover chard rather than leftover spinach). Because I make it just for me these days, I often make a large roasting dish full, and put spinach at one end and feta at the other. It freezes brilliantly too - I've got a large batch in the freezer at the moment. I cut it into small (er, cough, cough) slices so that I can have just one slice at lunch time, or two in the evening,