Spanakopita

 

Greece.  It looks so beautiful along the Mediterranean.

I've always wanted to go for the beautiful atmosphere, but in the last few years I've had a longing to go simply for the food.  But until I buy that plane ticket,  I'll bring Greece to my kitchen. A friend of mine used to make these for special occasions.  I loved them!  Unfortunately, she left Taiwan, and so did her yummy treats. 

So, I didn't have spinach.  Instead, I used diguayeah.  When translated, it means sweet potatoe leaves.

 

The recipe tells you to saute the "spinach" in olive oil.  If I were to do it over, I'd put hardly any olive oil in the pan.  I felt like they were a little too greasy.

 

Sauted diguayeah.

I decided to put 1/2 feta and 1/2 crumbled, seasoned tofu.  I made a few with just feta, and I liked the combo of feta and tofu better.  It makes it taste a little lighter, or so I think.

Take a glob of the spinach-feta mixture.

Fold it so it looks like a triangle.

 

Continue folding until you get to the end.  Some people cut off the extra.  I just kept wrapping it.

All ready to bake in the oven.

All baked Spanakopita.

I ate my spanakopitas with a dollop of tsatziki and a falafel. 

Recipe adapted from The Food Network

        Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil  (I wouldn't plan on using much oil.  My pastry sheets were plenty oily.) 
• 2 pounds spinach, washed and drained
• 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled (I used 1/4 pound of feta and 1/4 pound of crumbled, seasoned tofu)
• 1 to 2 eggs, lightly beaten  (I didn't use any eggs.)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted 
• 1 pound filo pastry sheets

Directions

     Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan, add half of the spinach and saute until spinach wilts, tossing with tongs, about 2 minutes. Remove spinach and squeeze out excess liquid, then chop roughly. Repeat with remaining spinach, using 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Pour off any liquid from the pan, and add remaining olive oil. Add scallions and saute until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach to the scallions, along with the parsley, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. (This part can be done ahead and kept refrigerated).

  
     Stir the feta (I used a mixture of feta and tofu chunks) and as much beaten egg (yet again, I chose not to use eggs) to moisten the cooled spinach mixture. 

       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a baking sheet with some of the melted butter.

      Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper and a damp towel so it doesn't dry out and become brittle. Using a sharp knife, cut the filo into 3 by 11 inch strips, and recover with the towel. Use a pastry brush to brush a strip of filo with melted butter. Place a small spoonful of spinach filling 1 inch from the end of the pastry. Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle, then continue to fold up the strip in triangles, like folding up a flag. Continue with remaining strips of dough, placing filled triangles on the baking sheet and keeping them covered with a towel until all are ready to bake.

       Brush the triangles lightly with butter, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crsip. Serve hot. (These may be frozen before baking, layering waxed paper between layers of triangles to keep them from sticking. Bake frozen triangles an extra 10 minutes.)

       Variation: Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking pan, and spread 6 sheets of filo, brushing each with butter, on the bottom. Spoon the spinach filling over the filo, then cover with 6 more sheets of filo, buttering each sheet.  Score the top 3 sheets with a sharp knife. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until top is golden, let stand 15 minutes, then cut into squares and serve warm.