Spanakopita With Halloumi Food

SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Position rack in center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the spinach in a wire-mesh strainer or colander, place over a sink and drain well. Use your hands or a paper towel to squeeze the excess water out of the spinach.
• Place the spinach in a medium mixing bowl. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and basil. Stir in the beaten egg, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add the feta cheese and mix well to combine. Set aside.
• Gently unfold the phyllo dough.* Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on a large cutting board and gently brush with the melted butter. Place a second phyllo sheet on top of the first and brush with butter. Repeat 2 more times until you have a stack of 4 phyllo sheets with butter brushed between the layers.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the phyllo sheets lengthwise into 3 strips. Place 2 tablespoons of the spinach filling 1 inch from the bottom end of each strip.
• Take the bottom right corner of the strip between your thumb and finger and fold over the spinach filling to the left to make a triangle. Gently pull up the bottom left corner and fold up to make a second triangle. Continue folding until you reach the top. Place the triangle, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the completed triangle lightly with butter.
• Repeat with the remaining strips and phyllo sheets until all of the filling is used.
• Arrange the triangles 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and heated all the way through. Remove the spanakopita from the oven and cool slightly on the baking sheet.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

SPANAKOPITA (GREEK SPINACH PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

SPANAKOPITA WITH HALLOUMI

Steps:

• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add oil, egg, and yogurt. Add milk gradually until a smooth, pliable dough forms that does not stick. Form into a ball, cover in plastic wrap, and place dough in the refrigerator to rest for about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Oil a glass baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spinach and cook for 1 minute. Drain and let cool.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until transparent, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Chop cooled spinach and combine with onion in a bowl. Add feta cheese, Cheddar cheese, then halloumi cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add eggs.
• Take dough from refrigerator and knead on a clean surface. Divide into 2 pieces, 1 slightly larger than the other. Roll out larger piece of dough to cover bottom and sides of the prepared baking dish, using your hands to stretch the dough.
• Spread filling into dough-lined baking dish. Roll out remaining dough to fit and place on top of filling. Pinch sides to enclose filling. Cut a cross on top and brush lightly with milk.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden on top and risen, about 45 minutes.

HALLOUMI SAGANAKI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet big enough to fit all halloumi slices.
• Once oil is hot but not smoking, add halloumi. Cook until well browned on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until browned, about 3 minutes. Pour lemon juice over browned halloumi and let reduce slightly.
• Remove from heat and sprinkle with oregano. Serve hot.