Greek Style Dinner Pie With Left Over Greens Food

HORTOPITA: GREEK SAVORY PIE WITH GREENS, HERBS AND FETA CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
• Wash and chop all the vegetables. Dry well.
• Heat a pot with 1-2 teaspoon olive oil on low to medium heat, add the greens and heat until spinach is wilted- about 3 minutes and liquids have evaporated. *Alternatively place all the greens in a big bowl, add salt and rub together. Let them sit for 15 minutes and then skip step and go to step 5 (five).
• Place spinach in colander and let it drain and cool. Once cool, squeeze the liquids out with your hands, place in large bowl.
• In a small bow beat the egg and add crumbled feta and a bit of salt and pepper for taste, add to greens and mix well.
• Take a round 8-9 inch pan and brush with olive oil.
• Spread a phyllo sheet and cut in half. Place phyllo in pan scrunching it so it fits in the pan, this will make for thicker and crispier base. Brush with olive oil and continue until you have 6 layers (using 3 sheets cut in half).
• Empty the greens mixture in the pan, spreading evenly.
• Cover with 6 layers of phyllo using the same technique as before. After placing the last phyllo sheet. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of water and the sesame seeds if using.
• Score the top phyllo layers in 6-8 pieces, do not cut all the way through.
• Bake in the lower level of the oven for about 45 minutes. I usually place the pie all the way on the bottom directly on the oven for the last 10 minutes for a crunchy crust.
• Remove and let it cool. It can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.

GREEK GREENS PIE

Steps:

• If using spinach, it needs to be steamed 1 to 2 minutes to wilt; chard or beet greens need to steam 3 to 4 minutes to wilt.
• Transfer wilted greens to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking; squeeze out as much moisture as you can.
• Chop and set aside in a large bowl.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat and cook the onion, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes; add green onions and cook another minute.
• Stir in the greens and chopped herbs; season with salt and pepper and toss well.
• Stir in the feta cheese.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F; oil a 10 inch round baking dish or cake pan.
• In a medium saucepan, bring milk and 1/2 cup water to a simmer, over medium heat; add salt and slowly stream in the cornmeal while stirring with a whisk or wooden spoon to prevent clumping.
• Continue to stir until the mixture thickens like polenta.
• Remove from heat and spread half the mixture in your prepared pan in a thin, even layer; spread the greens over the cornmeal in another even layer.
• Dilute the remaining cornmeal with water until it resembles wet sand then stir in the remaining oil; spoon over the greens and smooth into an even layer (don't worry if it doesn't completely cover the greens).
• Bake until the top is browned, about 45 minutes to an hour.
• Remove and let sit for 30 minutes before cutting to allow the crusts to set up.
• NOTE: You can make this several hours before serving and heat in a slow oven. It is also good at room temperature. It will keep, refrigerated, 3 days.

CRISPY GREEK-STYLE PIE

Steps:

• Put the spinach into a large pan. Pour over a couple tbsp water, then cook until just wilted. Tip into a sieve, leave to cool a little, then squeeze out any excess water and roughly chop. Roughly chop the tomatoes and put into a bowl along with the spinach, feta and eggs. Mix well.
• Carefully unroll the filo pastry. Cover with some damp sheets of kitchen paper to stop it drying out. Take a sheet of pastry and brush liberally with some of the sundried tomato oil. Drape oil-side down in a 22cm loosebottomed cake tin so that some of the pastry hangs over the side. Brush oil on another piece of pastry and place in the tin, just a little further round. Keep placing the pastry pieces in the tin until you have roughly three layers, then spoon over the filling. Pull the sides into the middle, scrunch up and make sure the filling is covered. Brush with a little more oil.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Cook the pie for 30 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the cake tin, slice into wedges and serve with salad.

GREEK SKILLET PIES WITH FETA AND GREENS

Steps:

• Make the phyllo dough: Combine flour and salt in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook. Add olive oil, vinegar and 1/2 cup cold water. Mix at medium speed for about 5 minutes to obtain a smooth, soft dough. If the dough seems dry, add up to 3 tablespoons more water. Wrap in plastic film and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Blanch greens in salted boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain, rinse with cool water, squeeze dry and chop fine. In a small bowl, put chopped greens, parsley, dill, oregano, black pepper to taste, a pinch of crushed chile pepper and the feta. Mix with a fork to combine.
• Give dough a quick knead and divide into 6 pieces. Dust dough with cornstarch or rice flour, then roll each piece of dough as thinly as possible, stretching gradually to a diameter of 16 inches. Alternatively, roll dough to the thinnest possible setting of a pasta machine. Cut each circle in half and dust pieces with cornstarch or rice flour and stack off to the side. Alternatively, roll dough to the thinnest possible setting of a pasta machine and make smaller pies.
• Assemble the pies: Put a ridged stovetop grill or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. For each pie, lay 1 sheet phyllo on work surface and brush with olive oil. Cover half the sheet lightly with filling, using 3 to 4 tablespoons of mixture per pie. Fold over the other side and press down to seal pie. It will be a rough, very flat triangle shape.
• Brush both exterior sides with olive oil, carefully lay pie on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and crisp (reduce heat as necessary). Flip pie and cook the other side for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and crisp. Remove and serve warm; cut into smaller pieces if desired. Continue to make pies with remaining ingredients.