Spanakopita Puff Pastry Bites Food

SPANAKOPITA, GREEK APPETIZER WITH PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• In a pan over medium heat, sauté onions until fragrant then add garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.
• Add spinach, parsley, cilantro, dill, salt and pepper mixing them all well together. Cook for 3 minutes then remove from heat and let it cool down for 10 minutes.
• Stir in one beaten egg and feta cheese.
• Preheat oven to 400F. Beat remaining egg in a small bowl.
• Cut pastry sheet into 12 equal parts.
• Lightly brush the cups of a mini muffin tin with butter or oil, this step is optional just to make sure that the puff pastry will not be stuck.
• Press each puff square into the bottom of one muffin tin, fill with the spinach filling and fold pastry over brushing the top with the beaten egg.
• Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
• Let it cool slightly before serving.

SPANAKOPITA BITES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix egg, spinach and cheeses. Brush a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with some of the butter., Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared pan; brush with butter. Layer with 7 additional phyllo sheets, brushing each layer. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.) Spread top with spinach mixture. Top with remaining phyllo dough, brushing each sheet with butter., Freeze, covered, 30 minutes. Using a sharp knife, cut into 1-in. squares. Bake 35-45 minutes or until golden brown. Refrigerate leftovers.

PUFF PASTRY SPANAKOPITA BRAID

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C / 360F. Prepare your spinach. First, defrost it. Either leave it out to thaw for a few hours at room temperature, or use your microwave's defrost setting for a few minutes. It doesn't need to be warm or completely thawed, you just want to loosen up the blocks of spinach enough to be able to squeeze out moisture. To do this, I like to put all the spinach into a sieve or colander and use a heavy bowl to press down and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• Place the spinach into a large bowl and set aside.
• Heat a little oil in a frying pan and saute the onion until soft.
• Add the onion into the bowl with the spinach and mix in the feta, cream cheese, lemon juice and mint. Add a little extra cream cheese if needed to bind everything together into a nice creamy filling.
• Time to prepare the braid. There are images of process in the blog post above. Unroll your puff pastry to lay flat on a baking tray lined with baking paper (your pastry may come rolled in baking paper that you can use).
• Use kitchen scissors or a knife to cut slices (just under 1/3rd of the way in) on either side. Scoop your filling (1/2 per braid) in the middle and bring the pastry strips on either side up to cover the filling, allowing them to overlap in the middle.
• Whisk an egg thoroughly in a small bowl and brush over the top of the spanakopita braids.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is crisp and golden.

SPANAKOPITA PUFF PASTRY BITES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375F.
• Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to about a 12- by 14-inch rectangle. Make 6 cuts across the pastry at equal intervals the long way, then make 4 cuts across the pastry the short way (you end up with 24 pieces of dough).
• Press each piece into a mini muffin cup. Cover the muffin tray with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to chill while you make the filling.
• Whisk the eggs and egg yolk together, then measure out 1 tablespoon to reserve for the eggwash.
• Heat the oil in a large lidded skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender and starting to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the kale and water, cover the skillet, and cook until the liquid is evaporated and the kale is almost tender, about 8 minutes. (If the skillet gets too dry before the kale is almost tender, add a splash more water as needed.)
• Stir in the garlic, dill, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and cook (uncovered) until very tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice and turn off heat.
• Cool slightly, then stir in the eggs (except the reserved egg for eggwash) along with the feta and pine nuts.
• Fill the pastries with the kale mixture, using your finger to pack it down lightly. Lightly brush the dough with eggwash and bake until the pastries are puffed and golden, about 24 minutes.
• Serve hot, warm, or room temperature along with chunky tomato sauce, if desired.

SPINACH PIE IN PUFF PASTRY (SPANAKOPITA)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment (preferable) but you can use aluminum foil with a light spray of cooking oil.
• Melt butter and cook onions for a few minutes, until soft. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
• Beat eggs in medium bowl. Add cooked onion, spinach, feta, parmesan, bread crumbs. Add salt, pepper, & nutmeg. Mix well with fork.
• Place one unfolded sheet of puff pastry on the parchment or sprayed aluminum foil. Spread the spinach mixture over the pastry, leaving a border of one inch all around the edges. Keep the spinach flat; do not pile high.
• Brush the edges with the egg wash made with the last egg. Cover with the second sheet of pastry that has been slightly flattened with a rolling pin to one inch bigger than the first sheet. (This ensures all the spinach will be covered). Press edges together with fingertips or fork, making sure mixture is sealed well. Brush just the top with egg wash, careful not to drip any down the sides. Cut a few slits in the top with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape.
• Bake 30-40 minutes, until golden brown. Can be served hot or at room temperature.