# Spanakopita



## Gossie (May 24, 2006)

My husband's father (deceased before I knew my husband) made a Spanokopita that had rice and eggs and feta cheese and onion.  Does anyone have a very similar recipe.  I pretty much know WHAT goes in it, just not the proportions.  :=) 

Thanks in advance 

    --Cindy


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## jkath (May 24, 2006)

Spanakopita 

2 lbs spinach, chopped (buy it in the bag, or you'll be washing it all day!)
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. cup fresh dill, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup EVOO
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 lb feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (real parm, not the stuff in the green can)
2 eggs, beaten well
1 stick butter, melted (you may need more than this)
14 phyllo dough sheets (I like the ones in the yellow box - they're found in the freezer section)

Mix first 5 ingredients. Let sit for 10 minutes. Squeeze out any
excess moisture (with your hands).

Heat EVOO in a large skillet and saute onions until transparent.
 Stir in spinach and cheeses. Remove from heat and
cool, stirring occasionally, to room temperature. 
Beat eggs & set bowl aside. 
Lay out one sheet of phyllo & brush w/melted butter.
(make sure it is with the long side running left-right, and
the short side running top-bottom)
Repeat for all remaining sheets, so you have all sheets stacked
with butter in between.  Spread spinach mixture evenly over 
phyllo, on the left side, making sure to leave 2" on the top and 
bottom and left side for rolling space. Fold top 2" over filling
and fold bottom 2" over filling. Then fold left 2" over filling.
Now starting from the left, roll the dough to your right, 
creating a roll, (which will look somewhat like a spiral-rolled
burrito).
Lay spanikopita on a buttered baking sheet & brush top 
with butter. Bake @ 300 degrees till crust is golden and 
flaky.


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## Lizannd (May 24, 2006)

*Onion, cheese and yogurt pie.  This is for individual servings but you*

could certainly make it in one big pan with whole sheets of phyllo. 
For the filling:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing pastries
2 large onions, finely chopped (about 2 cups) 
1 1/2 cups (about 12 ounces) fresh Greek myzithra, whole milk ricotta, or farmer's cheese, crumbled
3/4 cup (about 3 ounces) Greek feta, crumbled
3/4 cup (about 2 ounces) grated Greek kefalotyri cheese or other hard sheep's milk cheese, such as pecorino
1/2 cup thick Greek or Mediterranean-style yogurt or drained plain yogurt
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh dill
2 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound (about 18 sheets) commercial phyllo, defrosted and at room temperature 


1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, preferably nonstick, skillet and cook the onions until soft and lightly golden, or 10 to 12 minutes. Stir as you cook them. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Combine the cheeses, yogurt, remaining olive oil, cooked onions, and dill. Beat the eggs lightly and add to the mixture, mixing well. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Have the phyllo ready. Place the sheets in front of you and, using a sharp knife, cut lengthwise into 4 equal columns. Stack them, and keep the stack covered with a dry kitchen towel and then over that a damp kitchen towel. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly oil 2 baking sheets.
4. Remove 1 strip of phyllo, brush it lightly with olive oil, and place another strip on top. Brush that with oil, too. Place a teaspoon of the filling in the lower right-hand corner of the phyllo, about 1/2 inch from the edge. Fold up the right corner to form a right triangle, and continue folding, the way one folds a flag. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Continue until the phyllo and filling are used up. Bake in the center of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Serve warm.


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## Lizannd (May 24, 2006)

*Onion, cheese and yogurt pie.  This is for individual servings but you*

could certainly make it in one big pan with whole sheets of phyllo. 
For the filling:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing pastries
2 large onions, finely chopped (about 2 cups) 
1 1/2 cups (about 12 ounces) fresh Greek myzithra, whole milk ricotta, or farmer's cheese, crumbled
3/4 cup (about 3 ounces) Greek feta, crumbled
3/4 cup (about 2 ounces) grated Greek kefalotyri cheese or other hard sheep's milk cheese, such as pecorino
1/2 cup thick Greek or Mediterranean-style yogurt or drained plain yogurt
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh dill
2 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound (about 18 sheets) commercial phyllo, defrosted and at room temperature 


1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, preferably nonstick, skillet and cook the onions until soft and lightly golden, or 10 to 12 minutes. Stir as you cook them. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Combine the cheeses, yogurt, remaining olive oil, cooked onions, and dill. Beat the eggs lightly and add to the mixture, mixing well. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Have the phyllo ready. Place the sheets in front of you and, using a sharp knife, cut lengthwise into 4 equal columns. Stack them, and keep the stack covered with a dry kitchen towel and then over that a damp kitchen towel. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly oil 2 baking sheets.
4. Remove 1 strip of phyllo, brush it lightly with olive oil, and place another strip on top. Brush that with oil, too. Place a teaspoon of the filling in the lower right-hand corner of the phyllo, about 1/2 inch from the edge. Fold up the right corner to form a right triangle, and continue folding, the way one folds a flag. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Continue until the phyllo and filling are used up. Bake in the center of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Serve warm.


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## Gossie (May 24, 2006)

OMG .. Most important ingredient, and I forgot to write it down.   LOL    

About how much rice would you put in it?  2c spinach, maybe 1/2 cup rice?  And would you put it in cooked or raw?

And what in the world is EVOO?   

   -- Cindy


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## mish (May 24, 2006)

Welcome to DC, Cindy.

Never had the dish with rice, but sure every region/family has their own version.

evoo is extra virgin olive oil - but it's not necessary imo for this recipe. I would add nutmeg and garlic. Feta is salty, so I would be light-handed on the salt or omit it, & give it an extra little fresh black pepper - to taste. You can use frozen spinach in place of fresh. You could also add cottage cheese to the feta mix. If you want to add rice, my instincts tell me, cook the rice first, then add it to the mix and bake. An herbed feta is another suggestion. Rather than cook any onions in oil - add freshly chopped into the mix prior to baking. 

Adding dill, parsley, onions & green onions, imo, is overkill. I would keep it simple, to taste the flavor of the spinach, feta, onions and phyllo. And use feta or Greek cheese -- or you're making a quiche, lol.

Cindy, I just bumped into Allen's recipe, that looks Fab!  Here's a link.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f21/greek-ideas-22679.html#post273068


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## XeniA (May 26, 2006)

Hi Cindy --

I'm a Greek resident, just starting to post here.

Don't agree with mish about cooking the rice first, or at least not fully. However, for a fuller discussion of this subject, switch to "Greek ideas" where it's heating up!

A.


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## Michael in FtW (Dec 2, 2006)

Gossie said:
			
		

> My husband's father (deceased before I knew my husband) made a Spanokopita that had rice and eggs and feta cheese and onion. Does anyone have a very similar recipe. I pretty much know WHAT goes in it, just not the proportions. :=)
> 
> Thanks in advance
> 
> --Cindy


 
This has had me stumped for several months Cindy ... I never could find a _spanakopita_ (spinach pie) recipe that included rice. But - I ran across this which sounds similar to what you were describing ... *Spanakorizo* which is spinach rice! Just like spanakopita - there are variations in the recipes. You just have to weed through them to find the one that sounds right for what your Dad had.


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## Gossie (Dec 2, 2006)

Thanks Michael, do you think I can put this in phyllo dough?  hehehe

I think each region has there way of doing spanokopita.  I think where his father is from, probably put a bit of partially cooked rice in with the spinach.  I wish I had known his father way back when. :=(


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