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Not So American Pie
Spanakopita! (or Spinach Pie)
Ingredients!
Start by carmelizing onions and garlic
Then add rest of filling ingredients
And mix!
I've always been unappetized by grease and red meat, so growing up with a Greek family who worships a hefty steak or adds beef to every single dish has always been a struggle of selecting the few meat-free dishes at family gatherings. Besides all of the pastichio (meat and pasta layers), or moussaka (meat, eggplant, and potatoes), always lies my holy grail: Spinach Pies, or as we Greeks call it, Spanakopita. My grandma always makes the warm pockets of a crisp, flakey outer shell filled with the warm, comforting blend of spinach and feta cheese, and are the only reason I don't starve at family dinners! Right now, my grandparents have migrated down to Florida and family dinners have come to a halt for the season. So for this week's theme of childhood dish, I decided to make Spanakopita myself, a feat that will never be the same as my grandma's, but still gives the same comforting satisfaction.
Going into this cook day I was pretty confident because I've cooked at home many times before. But this was my first time ever making Spanakopita all by myself, and I was also working in an entirely new kitchen with a foreign layout and organization compared to what I'm used to. Running back and forth to the walk-in fridge and scavenging the dry storage for the exact spice I needed made me lose this confidence and suddenly it felt like I was on Food Network's "Worst Cooks in America" show. Luckily, after gathering all of my ingredients and taking a deep breath, I felt a bit better and decided to start with the filling.
I started simmering my ingredients in a skillet, first the red onions and minced garlic, then adding the parsley, green onions, lemon zest, feta cheese, spinach, and spices.
I set this aside to cool and then began the daunting assembly of these little triangles. I carefully peeled a paper-thin sheet of phyllo dough from the package, and brushed melted butter onto its surface -- careful not to rip the delicate surface. I then layered another on top and brushed that as well.
Then, came the messy part. For the first few assemblies I took a careful tablespoon of my filling to place in a corner of the dough. I then folded it over, making little triangles, to secure it and give it that flakiness I'm so familiar with. I set this first one aside and finished the rest, more rapidly this time because the bell was about to ring.
Then, I placed them all on a baking sheet and put them in the oven to bake.
When I came to take them out of the oven, an aroma of savory, cheesy, spinachy amazingness flooded my senses, and I knew they were ready. After letting them cool for a bit, I took a bite and was delightfully surprised, yet nostalgic for the real thing. They were lacking a bit of saltiness, the type that usually comes from the authentic feta that comes in a solid block in cheese water we use at home instead of the pre-crumbled knock off that the kitchen only had in stock. Despite this little difference, the taste was a completely different profile. I'm so used to my grandma's that I didn't particularly love them, but I was still proud of myself for making them at all. On the other hand, when I took them home my dad said that they were the best Spanakopita he's ever had! To be fair he's never been a fan of the saltiness in my grandma's, but still this was amazing feedback.
Scoop filling into a corner of prepared phyllo dough
Then fold, repeating until you run out of dough
All ready for the oven!
Overall, this was a successful dish to kick off the semester! It was a learning lesson on the new cooking environment I'll be in for the rest of the year, but it was also a homage to my past. From all of the times I've depended on my grandma for making Spanakopita, it's now my turn to make foods that will satisfy my healthy craving and share it with the world here on my blog!
Although I couldn't get my hands on my grandma's authentic recipe, I did find one that is pretty similar. My only note is to make sure to buy a block of feta (we use Dodoni brand), and not pre crumbled, and it will be absolutely scrumptious!
The finished product!!
Original Recipe here
Spanakopita Recipe
Ingredients:
8 ounces frozen spinach defrosted, drained
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium red onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 cup loosely packed parsley leaves finely chopped
1/8 cup finely chopped green onions about 5 – white and light green portions
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
3/4 cup crumbled feta about 3 oz
3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
About 10 sheets one sleeve phyllo pastry (1/4 a package), defrosted (these come frozen at any local supermarket)
Instructions:
Filling:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring regularly, until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes
Add the garlic and dill. Cook with the onions, stirring frequently, until caramelized and soft, about 5 more minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
Squeeze the defrosted spinach to drain all the water possible. You should end up with around 1 cup of spinach. Transfer to the skillet on top of the onion mixture.
Add the parsley, green onions, lemon zest, ground pepper, feta cheese to the skillet and stir to distribute mixture evenly.
Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
On a clean surface, roll out the phyllo pastry. Cut into 2 ½-3” wide strips lengthwise using a pizza cutter. Cover the pastry with a barely damp towel to prevent it from drying out.
On a clean surface, layout 1 layer of phyllo pastry and brush it down with a small amount of butter using a pastry brush and very gentle motions.
Place a second layer of pastry directly on top of the first and brush that with a small amount of butter.
In one corner of the pastry layers, place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling mixture. Squish it into an approximate triangle that nearly reaches the edges.
Fold the corner of the pasty with the filling over to reach the nearest opposite edge of the pastry. Then, roll the filling triangle towards the empty end of the pastry. Again, fold the triangle to the nearest opposite side. Repeat these last two steps until you reach the end of the pastry rectangle.
Place the triangle on the prepared baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Repeat the assembly with all the pastry sheets and filling. The triangles can be placed fairly close together on the baking sheet, about ½”.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving
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