With our feature CommuniFoodie this week ‘The Greek Grazing Table’ it only felt right to share a popular and dangerously delicious Greek Dish.
Spanakopita I like to refer to as the cheesy spinach pie. It takes around 45 minutes to make and an hour to cook and can be as simple or complex as you like. It is the perfect side dish for chicken dishes, lamb or if you’re a vegetarian- baked veggies or beautiful salads (there is a vegan recipe option below too).
All you need is;
1. Casserole Dish.
2. Phyllo Pastry (this creates the layers and is the key feature- good quality makes a huge difference)
3. Feta (good quality feta too, it makes such a difference. If you are vegan I recommend cashew cheese- it doesn’t work ‘as’ well but you still get one pretty amazing dish).
4. Olive oil and/or butter.
5. Parsley, onion, garlic, dill weed and for me a little cinnamon (I know bizarre right).
6. Fresh Spinach (or frozen cubes, you can buy them organically from Woolworths for $2.20).
7. 3-4 eggs (or egg replacement if you don’t consume eggs).
Method (to the madness)
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Have spinach pre-cooked spinach or if frozen, make sure it is cooled or thawed and that all liquid has been drained from it before use (no one likes a soggy pie).
3. Thaw phyllo dough (don’t remove from packaging) just allow the moisture to leave it before use.
4. Add the spinach spinach+onion+parsley+feta(or cashew cheese)+dill+cinnamon+eggs(or powder) mix into a bowl and combine.
5. Lay the phyllo sheet in the casserole dish and use a generous amount of butter or oil to aid in the ‘smooshing’ process. Phyllo sheets easily tear and that’s ok, just make sure your base layer is solid and as you work your way up the layers it won’t matter as much if you get a little tear through the centre.
6. Spread a nice layer of the spinach+onion+parsley+feta(or cashew cheese)+dill+cinnamon+egg mix across the phyllo pastry.
7. You can choose to do layers or you can just do one! If you wish to layer it, lay your next sheet neatly and then apply some butter or oil and then apply a generous serving of filling.
8. Follow these steps until you reach the top. Lay your final layer and finish it how ever you like, some people like to cut into the pastry, some like a full pie lid and some prefer stylistic approaches. I like the crunchiness of the pastry, so I always opt for a full lid.
9. Cook for approximately 40-50 minutes, until pastry is a fluffy golden brown.
Spanakopita keep’s really well in the fridge also in airtight containers. The perfect addition to your weekly work lunches or leftover meals! If cooking is not your thing, remember Nic at The Greek Grazing Tables makes take home Spanakopita weekly, so get your orders in!
Enjoy a weekend of cooking something different or try some other famous Greek dishes like Moussaka or Baklava! #CommuniFood with your creations. Looking forward to sharing more stories with you.
For the Love of GOOD FOOD CommuniFood
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