Spanakopita Spiral With Homemade Filo Food

SPANAKOPITA RECIPE (AUTHENTIC GREEK SPINACH PIE)

Steps:

• To prepare this spanakopita recipe start by making the phyllo dough first. (For step by step instructions Homemade phyllo dough). Alternatively use commercial phyllo dough.
• When done, heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
• To prepare the filling for this spanakopita recipe, sauté the onions in a large knob of butter until soft and turning golden. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the spinach in batches and cook until wilted. Cool, then tip into a bowl (leaving behind any excess liquid from the spinach) and mix in the nutmeg, feta, eggs, spring onion and season.
• For this spanakopita recipe you will need a non stick baking pan, about 25cm. Put the first sheet of filo in the pan and sprinkle with olive oil, letting the excess hang over the sides. Keep going with the rest of the sheets, turning a little before adding each additional pastry sheet and sprinkling with olive oil. Use 2-3 phyllo sheets, depending on how thick your phyllo is. Tip in the filling of the spanakopita and fold over the excess pastry to cover. If you like to prepare a larger pan of spanakopita for a big crowd, double the ingredients for the filling and use a 25*35 cm baking dish. Layer the 2-3 phyllo sheets to form the bottom of the spanakopita, tip in the filling and top with 2-3 more phyllo sheets.
• Brush the top of the spanakopita with olive oil and scar with a sharp knife. Bake in preheated oven for about 60 minutes until the phyllo is crisp and golden.
• Leave the spanakopita cool down for 10-15 minutes before cutting into pieces. Serve the spanakopita with Greek salad. Enjoy!

SPINACH FILO SPIRAL PIE

Steps:

• Heat a large non-stick pan over a medium heat. Tip in the spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted (you won't need any oil or water as it will steam in its own moisture). Leave to cool a little, then tip into a clean tea towel and squeeze out as much water as possible. Chop and put in a bowl.
• Heat the knob of butter in a non-stick frying pan. Add the onion and cook for about 10 mins until softened. Tip into the bowl with the spinach, then stir in the feta using a fork until fully combined. Taste for seasoning.
• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Brush a 24 x 4cm deep metal pie dish with some of the butter.
• Lay a filo sheet on your work surface. Brush with some of the melted butter, then spread about 2 tbsp of the filling in a line along the longest edge of the pastry. Roll loosely into a long sausage (don't roll it too tight as this might cause the pastry to split), then coil the pastry and put in the centre of the tin.
• Repeat with the rest of the pastry and filling, arranging the coils around the central one. Brush the tops with more butter, then sprinkle with the nigella seeds. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden and crisp.

SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Place washed spinach leaves in a large bowl. Sprinkle very heavily with salt and work salt into leaves with hands while tearing leaves into small pieces (use gloves if you have sensitive skin or if you have any cuts!). When spinach has been reduced to about 1/4 of the original volume, rinse thoroughly to remove all the salt and drain well.
• In another bowl, beat eggs and mix in the feta. Add to spinach.
• In a nonstick skillet, heat a small amount of olive oil and saute onions until just starting to brown. Add to spinach mixture.
• Season spinach mixture with pepper to taste (you probably won't want salt, as there will be some residual salt in the spinach and the feta is quite salty). Mix in a little oregano (I use a couple of generous pinches of dried).
• Brush a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or spray with olive oil spray. Heat oven to 375* F.
• Place the filo on a flat working surface and keep covered with slightly dampened paper towels while working.
• Take 1 sheet at a time, brush with butter or spray with olive oil spray, and place in the pan so that edges hang over sides. Continue until all but a few sheets have been used, fanning the sheets out so that you end up with the bottom and sides of the dish all covered and an even amount of overhand all around the dish.
• Pour the filling into the pan. Fold the overhanging edges of filo to cover most of the top. Brush/spray the remaining few sheets of filo, place on top, and tuck in around sides of pan. Cut 3 slashes in the top with a very sharp knife.
• Brush top with butter or spray with olive oil spray, place in hot oven, and bake for 50 minutes or until hot and golden brown.
• Cut into squares and serve while still very hot.