Spanakopita

Spanakopita (spinach pie) is a dish that just seems to bring people together. My mother first learned how to make her highly sought-after spanakopita not in Greece, but in the United States. Like tiropita (cheese pie) it is one of her go-to recipes to feed a hungry crowd and one of her signature savory dishes. And let’s just say it has a bit of a following. Who knew spinach could be so uniting.

There are more than a few family members and family friends who hope that a visit to the house will mean that a generous portion of it will be at the table. Both of my siblings and I have friends who grew up with a taste for mom’s spanakopita that they can’t get enough of. One of my brother’s best friends from childhood has even passed on the craving to his wife and children, who are treated to it on special occasions throughout the year. His daughter has even accused him of eating all the pites before she could get home from college break.

My mother learned to make spanakopita from women in her church. This Greek church community was started by a small group of families, many of whom had recently immigrated from a variety of regions in Greece. Each with their own specialties brought from their respective villages, the women of the community began gathering together throughout the year to cook and bake to help support growth of their beloved St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Church and their new Greek-American community. They cooked to help maintain their traditions, and to share their culture with others in the community at large. Some 40 years later, this tightknit group of women still gather together to prepare an incredible bounty of Greek foods for the annual Greek festival held each Memorial Day weekend.

Similar to tiropita, but with a few more ingredients and prep work, this was the next logical at-home pita challenge. Having learned my lesson from the tiropita challenge, I listened more attentively to my mom’s instructions and asked a lot more questions before starting. As with the tiropita, I set out to make mom’s standard recipe, with one small tweak. I added a little dill, but don’t tell her. While my mom uses dill readily in other dishes, she just doesn’t seem to care for it in spanakopita. I’m happy to report that this challenge only took one attempt for a pretty successful rendition of my mother’s recipe. And she didn’t even notice the dill.

This recipe is enough for a large tray of spanakopita, and extra filling for individual triangle spanakopites. My mother uses a large pan or half sheet tray (12×17 inch), and this leaves her with a little extra filling for individual spanakopita triangles. These can be cooked right away, or frozen to be cooked and enjoyed another time. I used a slightly smaller 9×13 inch pan, because the phyllo available at my grocery store is this size. This is still a generous portion of pita and allows for extra filling for individual spanakopites. And if your phyllo comes with two rolls, it will allow you to use up both rolls.

Halve the recipe to make just one 9×13 inch pan versionor 30-40 individual triangles. See my step-by-step phyllo post for more detailed information about working with phyllo.

Filling
6-8 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 cups chopped scallions (about 3 bunches)
1 ½ cups yellow onion, chopped or grated (about 1 medium onion)
1 cup chopped fresh parsley (about ½ bunch)
¼-½ cup chopped fresh dill (optional and according to taste)
9 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (about 40 – 48 oz)
24 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
4-5 eggs

Topping (for pan version only)
1-2 eggs (1 egg for 9×13” tray, 2 eggs for larger trays)
½ cup milk

Assembly
1-2 rolls phyllo dough*, thawed (in refrigerator the night before ingredient prep, or at least 4-6 hours)
1 cup clarified butter

Additional Equipment and Supplies
Cheesecloth (optional)
Pastry brush
Colander

Yield: One 12×17 inch tray or sheet pan of approximately 35 pieces; or
60 individually wrapped triangles; or
One 9×13 inch pan of approximately 24 pieces, and approximately 30-40 individual triangles

*Phyllo dough notes:
Thawing: Phyllo dough should be thawed in the refrigerator the night before using, or at least 4-6 hours
Sheet/package size: Phyllo dough is usually found in packages with two rolls of 9×14 inch sheets, or single rolls of 14×18 inch sheets
Sheet thickness/package size: Phyllo comes in a variety of sheet sizes and thickness, and is usually limited to one type per grocery store, unless you have access to a Greek or Mediterranean specialty store.

Thin phyllo dough can come in single roll packages with approximately sixteen 14×18 inch sheets, or two roll packages with approximately twenty 9×14 inch sheets

Thick phyllo dough usually comes in single roll packages with approximately ten 14×18 inch sheets

Instructions:

Thaw phyllo in refrigerator overnight, or about 4-6 hours before using
Thaw spinach in a colander and squeeze out as much liquid as possible, using your hands or cheesecloth. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Sauté yellow onion and scallions until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add parsley and dill and cook for about 1 minute
Add drained chopped spinach, mix well and cook for about 5 minutes
Remove from heat and place spinach mixture in a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature
Add feta to cooled spinach mixture and mix to evenly distribute feta
Add four eggs and mix well. If filling seems too dense, add another egg and mix well. The filling should hold its shape slightly, but spread easily when light pressure is applied.
Set filling aside
Preheat oven to 350°F
Prepare clarified butter
Remove phyllo from refrigerator

Sheet pan or tray assembly:

Butter bottom of sheet pan or tray
Unroll phyllo, count sheets and place under a barely damp cloth towel to keep phyllo from drying out. Use half the phyllo sheets for bottom layer, and half for top layer. If there is an uneven number of sheets, reserve the extra sheet for the top layer.
Layer single sheet of phyllo on bottom of buttered tray
- If using thick horiatiko (country style phyllo) butter between every sheet until half of phyllo roll is used (~5 sheets)
- If using thin phyllo, butter every other sheet, until half of phyllo roll is used (~10 sheets) but be sure NOT to butter the layer of phyllo that the spinach and cheese mixture will be placed on (the oil in the mixture is enough fat for this layer)
Spread spinach and cheese filling evenly over phyllo
Begin assembling top layer of phyllo by laying one sheet on top of spinach and cheese mixture, and continue as for bottom phyllo layer until all sheets are used (about 4-5 layers for thick phyllo, and 10 for thin phyllo)
Butter top phyllo sheet
Using a sharp knife, cut assembled pita into square pieces, making sure to cut through to bottom
Beat remaining 1-2 eggs with milk and pour evenly over entire spanakopita
Bake at 350°F for approximately 45-60 minutes, until top is golden brown

Individual Triangle Preparation

Remove phyllo roll from outer plastic bag (keep the inner plastic sheet intact with the roll)
Measure out and mark evenly sized cross sections of about 3-4 inches
Using a very sharp knife, cut the marked roll into sections, making sure to cut all the way through the bottom layer
Unroll the first section of cut phyllo and place under a barely damp dish towel to prevent it from drying out (keep the other sections rolled and covered until ready to use).
Place a phyllo strip on a flat surface such as a kitchen counter or cutting board, perpendicular to yourself
Gently brush thin layer of clarified butter along entire length of phyllo strip. If using thin pastry sheets, place another strip of phyllo on top of buttered phyllo.
Add filling to bottom edge of phyllo strip (closest to you)
Lift bottom right or left corner of phyllo edge with filling, and bring up to the opposite side, beginning to form your triangle.
Flip pointed edge facing you, up and over, so that the straight edge is now facing you, making sure to tuck in any loose filling securely into the packet.
Take opposite corner and flip over to opposite long edge, again, making sure any loose filling or phyllo edges are securely tucked in under fold.
Repeat until you near the opposite end of the phyllo strip.
Lightly butter the end of the phyllo strip, and wrap around the triangle, sealing your packet.
Place completed packet on a dish or tray, and continue wrapping individual packets until finished with filling and/or phyllo.
Arrange on a lightly buttered baking sheet and cook at 350°F for approximately 30 minutes, until triangles turn golden brown

Uncooked individual spanakopites can be frozen and cooked at a later date. Arrange uncooked spanakopites in layers separated by wax paper in an airtight container. May be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to cook, remove from freezer, place on a lightly buttered baking sheet and place straight into a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes.