VIRGINIA'S EXCELLENT GREEK SPANAKOPITA
I attended a local annual Greek Festival this Labor Day weekend in Orange, CT called "Odyssey" at the ST Barbara Greek Orthodox Church. Throughout the day, several cooking classes were held, free of charge, taught by a very nice lady from Greece named Virginia. The next class was about to start, so I decided to watch, even though it was for a recipe I already thought I knew how to make - spanakopita. Well - Virginia's version blew mine away and now this is the version I will only use from now on. This has a lot more fresh herbs and two types of onions, and lots of eggs, more than any recipe for spanakopita I had ever used. Virginia said that you cut the finished recipe into 24 servings, so really, 8 eggs isn't too many. She also said that you may use fresh spinach, finely chopped to equal the same amount as the frozen, but that it is not necessary since the frozen comes pre-chopped and will be getting cooked anyway. She also said that she makes her own pastry for this, but that it is perfectly fine to use a good quality brand of boxed phyllo pastry (which is what she used in the class). She specifically mentioned not adding any salt, as the feta is already salty enough. Also, she used Parmesan because that is what is available in the US - in Greece she would use a similar Greek cheese, such as mizithra.
Provided by HeatherFeather
Categories Spinach
Time 1h30m
Yield 24 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Defrost, drain, and squeeze the spinach dry as possible and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet and add oil.
- Saute onion for a few minutes, just until they begin to get translucent, not brown.
- Add scallions and saute a few minutes longer.
- Add parsley and dill and saute for a few seconds.
- Season with pepper (she poured some into the cap of the pepper jar and dumped it in- she said approximately 1 tsp).
- Combine lightly beaten eggs, spinach,feta,Parmesan cheese, and the onions mixture in a large bowl, mixing gently until combined.
- Using a pastry brush,very lightly butter a large jelly roll pan (approx 11"x14")- it should be a large rectangular shape with fairly low sides.
- Set a sheet or two of phyllo pastry into the pan to evenly cover the bottom, and then brush very lightly with butter (she said to not go overboard with the butter).
- Repeat until you have 10 layers of pastry in the pan (if using #4 thickness; if using the thicker #7 size, then make 1 or 2 fewer layers).
- Spread spinach mixture evenly in the pan.
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Meanwhile, layer another 10 layers of phyllo pastry on top, as before, folding and tucking in edges at the corners as you go.
- Using a clean spray bottle filled with some cold water, lightly mist surface- this will produce a crispy top layer.
- Using a sharp knife, cut into 24 squares.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 238.1, Fat 14.4, SaturatedFat 8.3, Cholesterol 111.1, Sodium 629.3, Carbohydrate 16.1, Fiber 2.8, Sugar 2.8, Protein 12.3
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Lacee Phinney
[email protected]I've made this spanakopita several times and it's always a hit. It's a great dish to serve for brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Samyra Chowdry
[email protected]This recipe is a great way to get your kids to eat their vegetables. My kids loved the spanakopita and they didn't even realize they were eating spinach!
Natally Tshabalala
[email protected]I made this spanakopita in individual ramekins and it was perfect for a party appetizer.
Wendy Collins
[email protected]I'm not a fan of feta cheese, so I used ricotta cheese instead. It was still delicious!
Steve Wanaki
[email protected]This recipe is a great way to use up leftover spinach. I also added some chopped kale and it turned out great!
Proshad Shing
[email protected]I made this spanakopita for my Greek grandmother and she said it was the best she'd ever had! High praise indeed.
Donita!
[email protected]This recipe is a bit time-consuming, but it's worth the effort. The spanakopita is absolutely delicious!
Adjoa Aboagyewaa
[email protected]I've tried many spanakopita recipes and this one is definitely my favorite. The combination of spinach, feta, and herbs is perfect.
A sing marma Jo hee
[email protected]I made this spanakopita for a potluck and it was a huge success! Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe.
Mariella Ortez
[email protected]This recipe was a disaster! The phyllo dough was too thick and the filling was dry and bland. I won't be making this again.
Wesley Wright
[email protected]I've been making spanakopita for years and this recipe is by far the best. The filling is incredibly flavorful and the phyllo dough is perfectly crispy.
Swabrah Mutagwa
[email protected]This was my first time making spanakopita and it turned out great! The instructions were easy to follow and the dish was a big hit with my family.
Janet Yoriola
[email protected]I'm not a big fan of spinach, but I loved this spanakopita! The phyllo dough was crispy and flaky, and the filling was flavorful and moist.
Crystal Wall
[email protected]This spanakopita recipe is a keeper! The flavors are amazing and the texture is perfect. I've made it twice now and both times it's been a hit.