# Spanakopita - (Spinach Pie)



## Charlotte (Nov 8, 2004)

Would you categorize Spanakopita as an egg and cheese dish or as a vegetable dish?

I have been asked to take a cooked vegetable dish to a 40th wedding anniversary this coming weekend and I would like to know if this dish would qualify please.

Thank you
Jocelyne


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## bege (Nov 11, 2004)

Cooked vegetable, according to this Recipe: 

Spanakopita
A classic vegetarian recipe from Greece: rich and delicious spinach-cheese pie.


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## Juliev (Nov 11, 2004)

This came from a friend of mine, she is mostly greek:

"Ok, here is a recipe I learned from my Yia Yia("grandma" in Greek)
...it is feta cheese and spinich wrapped in fillo dough (a Greek pastry)

Spanakopita
***NOTE***Before starting, do not open the fillo dough until you are absolutely ready to use it (after you have made inside mixture) because it is very thin and dries quickly. While working with it, keep it covered with a damp paper towel and work fast...you will improve at this with time, I promise)****

Preheat oven to about 350 or so
Ingredients:

1 box of fillo dough (usually this is found in the frozen desert section and it's called "puff pastries" sometimes.)

2 large bunches of fresh spinich

4 green onions

2 packages of traditional feta cheese blocks

2 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

a scoop of butter or margerine in a small bowl

Preparing:

Wash all of the spinich leaves and cut all the stems off. (this is the worst part for me) Put the spinich in a pot with a bit of water and boil it for about 5 minutes. Drain in collander, rince with COLD water and squuze dry. 

While spinich is cooling off, cut the onions and put them into a bowl. Crumble the feta into tiny pieces into the bowl. Add the spinich and sort of break it up and mix everything together. Then beat the 2 eggs in a small bowl and add that to spinich. Dust with pepper and a PINCH of salt.

when it's all mixed together, put it aside.

Now melt the butter in the microwave and brush the melted butter into the pan you are going to use...cover every part of the inside. (I use a glass 9X11 pyrex baking dish, actually) Unwrap the fillo dough and carefully lay one sheet of fillo into the dish. Gently brush it with more butter and add another layer. Do this until you are at 4 sheets. ALWAYS BRUSH WITH BUTTER BETWEEN SHEETS! Add mixture and evenly spread it out. Then add a sheet of fillo. Butter and another sheet. It's ok to let the edges hang over right now. When you are at 4 sheets again butter the top and wrap the sides neatly like you would a package, or as close to that as possible. Brush butter to smooth the edges down.

Place in the oven and bake it for 30-45 minutes. this is why I like to use the glass dish because I can look at the bottom to make sure it is browning down there too.

When it comes out, let it cool for 30 minutes or so and then you can either eat it or chill it. I like to eat it warm, though.

More NOTES*** you can fold the fillo back up and put it back into it's original wrapping and store in the freezer for futher use."


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## Erik (Nov 11, 2004)

I love the combo of Feta, Spinach, and Phyllo melting in your mouth, when it just out of the oven.


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## Charlotte (Nov 11, 2004)

*sorry and thanks*

Well sorry for coming back so late to this forum... my time has been at a premium lately....

thank you for your replies... it looks like it's too complicated to try and keep this dish hot during the one hour long car ride over to where the meal will be on Saturday...

Looks like I will have to fall back on some old stand by...

thanks
Jocelyne


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## Juliev (Nov 13, 2004)

*Re: sorry and thanks*



			
				Charlotte said:
			
		

> Well sorry for coming back so late to this forum... my time has been at a premium lately....
> 
> thank you for your replies... it looks like it's too complicated to try and keep this dish hot during the one hour long car ride over to where the meal will be on Saturday...
> 
> ...


Sorry.. I posted this because it came a friend that is always yappin about her greek recipes.  I realize that it looks that way.  Good luck with finding something.


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## Charlotte (Nov 13, 2004)

*@@ JulieV*

No don't say sorry, I am GLAD that you posted the recipe as when I was thinking of making it I did not remember it being that complicated... It helped me! and I will make it soon when I have more time to do so...

About the dish I chose to make, it's as I said, an old standby, a hot veggie and milk/cheese/egg casserole that can be done with any combination of veggies... I chose the easy way out and blanched a small bag of mixed veggies, namely mini corn, snow peas, green beans, mini carrots, green peas and corn.  It's layered with bread cubes on the bottom as well as on the top, and parmesan added after one pours the liquids into it... Let it sit a couple of hours in the fridge then bake at 325F for 45 minutes. 


Thanks again!
Jocelyne

Edit:
I forgot to say that the original recipe calls for broccoli and mushroom but states that you can substitute almost any other vegetable. I also added about one cup of chopped fresh curly parsley.


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