Greek Spinach Pie. “Spanakopita.” ©
Every household in Greece has it’s very own family recipe for this well known pie and the variations are endless. Two days ago a good friend made a special request for my recipe………. it was then I realized I had never actually made Greek Spinach Pie !!!!! Now there was a nice challenge…….I have eaten it many times and I therefore knew exactly what I wanted and what I didn’t want…….
Here below is a beautifully light, tasty, not too salty not too oily version of the classic Greek Spinach Pie. Yes I do use butter…..instead of olive oil, but I think you will agree with me that this does produce a delicious result.
If you live in the Greek country side the combinations of greens, “Horta” can be endless, so think of this as the basic recipe and add as you see fit. If you do choose to use olive oil, use very sparingly or half and half, the butter gives an excellent flavor.
This is a special request from Sabrinah ! Express Post!
Easy
4-6 Persons
Oven 200.C. 3/4 -1 hr.
Oven to tableware dish 25 X 25 cm.
Ingredients
500 g Spinach. fresh or second best frozen.
450 g Leeks
2 Onions finely chopped
4 Spring onions, green parts included finely chopped
2 tbs chopped Fennel stalks
3 tbs Fennel leaves finely chopped
50 g butter for cooking plus 50 g melted butter for buttering pastry
150 g Feta Cheese crumbled
150 g Ricotta Cheese, Anthotiro or cream cheese
50g grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper
4 Sheets Filo pastry, ( Kroustas )
2 eggs lightly beaten
Method
1. Wash and prepare vegetables, cutting leeks and spring onions half way through diagonally, so that you can wash out any earth trapped, while they were growing in between the leaves, this can take several waters. Soak all vegetables in salted water to release any bugs attached to the leaves. Rinse again with plain water.
Wash fresh spinach extra carefully in many waters, ending up with salted water. Spinach often has a lot of earth attached to its leaves or lodged in the root part. lastly rinse with plain water.
2. Melt half the butter in a large saucepan, add finely sliced leeks, spring onions green leaves included, diced onions and fennel stalks. Sweat over a very low heat, lid on for at least 20 mins, stirring occasionally as the vegetables easily stick. They must not brown!
3. Add fresh spinach leaves to separate pan and wilt over 1 tbs of water for 2-3 mins. If frozen melt over gentle heat until all water has evaporated. I used a non-stick frying pan for this.
4. Place spinach in colander and press water out with a spoon. This is important, you don’t want a watery pie.
5. Crumble feta cheese into a large bowl and add ricotta and grated parmesan, add freshly grated black pepper. Mix in lightly beaten egg, reserving second egg for pastry.
6. Butter oven to table wear dish. Lay over the top two to four layers of Filo pastry, buttering each with a pastry brush as you go. Position dish in center of pastry square.
7. Having buttered top surface,brush with beaten egg.( This helps the filling stick to the pastry, especially if you decide to make mini rolls, or a long roll, rolled up like the pattern on top of a shell, in which case you need a round pie dish.) Pour in vegetable mixture and even out. Brush surface with beaten egg.
8. Place two to four more layers on top, buttering each as you go and turn all the ends inwards to make a neat role around your spinach pie.( If the role is too thick, cut the two innermost layers back to the side of your dish, and role up the remaining ones.) I used two layers of Filo pastry top and bottom, because I didn’t want too much brittle pastry, but this is up to you.
9. Butter thoroughly on top, tidy your dish with kitchen paper and using a very sharp serrated knife divide pie into squares, according to the size of your dish. It is nice if the pieces come out about 5 x 5 cm squares. My pie dish was 24 x 24 cm. If you choose a larger pie dish, the pie will come out thinner, which is also very nice.
10. Place in center of oven, at 200. C. for 3/4-1 hour, or until the pastry is uniformly golden. If pastry browns too quickly, cover lightly with a sheet of tin foil. Or as I did I made a specially shaped protection, because the outer browned before the inner! Filo may seem an easy pastry, but it too needs careful cooking to get the correct crispiness.
11. Leave to stand for ten minutes and serve with a nice green salad. This pie in Greece is usually served just warm.
12. Decorate with a sprig of parsley, just before serving. Important, tidy dish with kitchen paper for spills!
N.B. Presentation is very important, you want your end result to look clean tidy and appetizing. Always leave five minutes at the end for decoration and presentation, after all it is the first impression that catches the eye !
After washing thoroughly your vegetables, slice finely and add to the melted butter in a large saucepan.
Onions, spring onions plus green leaves, fennel stalks.
Add sliced leeks and sweat over a low heat, lid on. Stir from time to time as the vegetables must not brown.
After briefly cooking spinach, cut up finely and place in sieve to drain completely.
Push out all liquid from spinach. This is important, you don’t want a watery pie!
Crumble feta, add other cheeses and mix into cooked vegetables. Add freshly ground black pepper.
Butter oven to tableware dish and place two layers of Filo pastry over the pie dish, buttering in between each
layer and carefully centralizing pastry.
Brush pastry with lightly beaten egg.
Pour in vegetable mixture.
Even out vegetable mixture in pie dish and brush with beaten egg.
Cover with two to four layers of Filo pastry, buttering each one as you go……
Using a sharp serrated knife cut pie into squares, cutting all the way down, so as to make it easy to serve.
Bake in pre-heated oven 200.C. Keeping an eagle eye on the pastry. If it over colors, cover with tin foil…..
……or as I did, because the outer parts were browning before the inner section….cooking is all about being
inventive…..
Spinach pie ready…….
Yum, those bubbles say it all………
leave to cool a little. Decorate, just before serving with parsley.
Wishing you the best of luck with this request, Sabrinah, and many happy returns to your friend, I hope this
last minute request is in time………xxx
Final result !
Octopus Salad. “Htapodi Xidato.” ©
Summer would not be complete with out catching an Octopus!
This is not for the faint hearted! My boys were taught how to do this at a young age, by the local fisherman
and by the time I got it, it was ready for the saucepan!
This recipe I dedicate to my two sons who taught me how to clean and cook Octopus!!!!
Easy
4-6 Persons
Ingredients
Preferably home caught Octopus, otherwise bought! Around 300g
3 bay leaves
1 onion
2-4 tbs Wine vinegar
4 tbs Greek Olive Oil
sprinkling of Oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. ………If you are lucky enough to catch your own Octopus, disentangle it from your spear and turn head sack inside out by inserting your fingers through the opening. Remove the contents along with the ink- sack and cut away the eyes ! The fisherman who taught us how to do this, used to remove the eyes with his teeth!!!! …..A knife will do just fine! Turn Octopus over and remove teeth from mouth, wash Octopus well in the sea and choosing a nice large flat stone start throwing it on the stone to tenderize it. This is very important or it will not be edible. You continue at least 20 throws, until the tentacles curl up and split easily at the joins.
2. If you are buying fresh, the above should already have been done, but always double check for tenderness. Otherwise, frozen is another very possible alternative. I always choose the smaller ones, preferably pink! I would rather buy two of these, than one big black one, because they are more tender……..
3. Wash well, or defrost at room temperature, wash and place in saucepan, along with onion and bay leaves. Add enough water to just cover the bottom of your saucepan (as the octopus cooks, it will also release water). Very important: Throughout cooking, keep an eagle eye on it, as it easily runs dry and the smell of burnt Octopus doesn’t go away for days!!
4. Initially the Octopus will be rigid, but, as it cooks and tenderizes with the cooking it relaxes. See photograph.
5. For an Octopus weighing about 300 g it usually needs cooking for about 3/4 of an hour to an hour. Test with a sharp pointed knife, it is ready when it is soft.
6. Turn up heat and reduce liquid until there is about a tablespoon left. Then add the vinegar and cook rapidly for about two minutes. Turn the heat off and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with Oregano.
7. Cut Octopus up into mouth sized pieces. If it is a large Octopus, remove suckers and skin. This is a matter of choice, but not really necessary when the Octopus is small.
8. Serve together with other Meze, such as taramosalata, dolmades, olives and soft crusty bread and of course OUZO! “Plumari” is the best!
Having cleaned and washed your Octopus as described in ‘Method’, place in saucepan with enough liquid
to cover base, together with an onion and three bay leaves.
Simmer with lid on for about 3/4 hour, checking frequently water level! If it starts to dry out add a little more.
As the cooking is completed, the Octopus tenderizes and relaxes in the saucepan.
Here the mouth shows clearly, from where you cut away the teeth when cleaning.
Cut up Octopus and serve in bowl with sauce and oregano sprinkled on the top.
Delicious!
Stin igia sas! Chin Chin!
Good Old Fashioned Cream Of Tomato Soup ©
This is the first recipe I ever made, I remember it distinctly, I got out Mrs Beaton and off I went !
Don’t be alarmed by the quantity of photographs, this recipe really brought out my passions for cooking!!!!
There is nothing like a good tomato soup, it reminds me of my childhood and lunches with my dear Grandmother in Montreal. She was a lovely Grandmother and always served the soup in old fashioned soup bowls with two handles and tipped her soup bowl away from her to finish off the last drop! She used to serve along side some delicious mini Canadian crackers and it was the perfect meal for her dear Granddaughter who loved soups! We still eat out of the same bowls on special occasions today…..
I grew up on soups and have always loved them, they are so nourishing and filled with goodness and just the thing for a T.V. dinner in front of a good film, when all one has time for is to glance down and spoon up another delicious spoon full! T.V. dinners were a huge treat, in those days while visiting Granny and we would sit together on her, oh so comfortable sofa and watch one of those oh so wonderful old fashioned films on her ‘old fashioned T.V. Set.’……..The film finished ever so late and it was off to bed in wonderful lavender scented sheets, feather pillows and hot chocolate in bed!!!!!!
This soup is a little warm for this time of year still, but uses up those wonderfully ripe summer tomatoes, which at other times of the year will not nearly produce such a delicious soup.
This is a special request from Amalia’s daughter, I hope you enjoy it and thank you so much for suggesting it, I have really enjoyed making it!
Easy
6 Persons
Ingredients
50 g unsalted butter
50 g rindless bacon cut into lardons/ strips
150 g diced onions
3 cloves garlic
300 g thinly sliced carrots
1 whole green or red chili
1 tbs flour
2.300 g ripe ‘summer’ tomatoes roughly chopped
300 ml Chicken or Beef stock home made, makes all the difference!
Bouquet garni ( Tie together with string bay leaf, sprig thyme and parsley stalk )
1 tsp sugar, only if you are using less ripe tomatoes, or winter tomatoes.
salt and pepper.
Garnish
1 tsp per serving of thick Greek yogurt or a swirl of cream
1 tsp per serving finely chopped chives or basil or parsley or mint
alternatively 150 ml cream swirled into the soup before serving.
Method
Gather together and prepare all your ingredients before you start cooking !
What's Cooking In Jane's Kitchen 