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Spinach Phyllo Cheese Pie

 



Spanakopita is also known as "Greek spinach pie".  The primary ingredients are spinach, feta cheese and phyllo pastry.  This recipe is definitely Greek.  The light flaky phyllo pastry make it seem exotic and the spinach and cheese make this a wonderful side dish.

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds spinach, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
13 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed, covered with a damp towel
Butter-flavored vegetable cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to sauté until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, feta, parmesan, thyme, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in spinach mixture.

Coat a 9-inch or 10-inch spring form pan with cooking spray. Place 1 sheet of phyllo in pan. Coat lightly with cooking spray. Layer 7 more phyllo sheets in the pan, coating each with cooking spray and fanning each slightly to the right (the overhanging phyllo sheets will form a circle around the pan). Gently press phyllo into the pan, forming a large shell. Fill with spinach-cheese mixture. Top with 5 more phyllo sheets, coating each layer with cooking spray and fanning each slightly to the right. Tuck top sheets around edge of filling. Fold overhanging sheets over top to enclose filling.

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Cover with foil and bake an additional 35 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes. Remove from pan and transfer to serving platter.
 


 

Phyllo Pastry

 


Greek Key

Phyllo is a paper-thin pastry dough that is used extensively in Greek cooking. You can find it at your supermarkets in the frozen food (desserts) section. You can store it in the refrigerator for several weeks, and for several months in the freezer. You'll want to defrost your package of phyllo overnight in the refrigerator so it will be ready for use the next day. Do NOT thaw it at room temperature. This would cause the sheets to stick together and would make working with them almost impossible.

The biggest problem in working with phyllo is that once exposed to air, it tends to dry and the pastry sheets may break, so you will need to work quickly. Before you begin, make sure that all of your tools and ingredients are at hand, and that you have a large enough area to work on. When you remove the phyllo from it's package, unroll it carefully Once the bundle of phyllo is unrolled, it may have a few creases, so gently and firmly press on the creases to smooth them out; this will minimize sheets sticking together.

If you have problems with sticking, try just removing a couple of sheets together, especially if tearing begins....there are lots of sheets in that package, so don't hesitate to sacrifice a few if it's necessary. The first time working with phyllo is the most frustrating...then you learn, so don't let it beat you -- it will be worth it. GOOD LUCK!!  
(from http://lldzines.com/ --> Greek Kitchen)

Greek Key
 


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