Spanakalepita Recipes

Steps:

• Place oven rack in center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
• Preheat a small pan over medium to medium high heat. Add oil and onion and saute 5 minutes. Place onion in a bowl. Add chopped dry, defrosted spinach and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add feta to the bowl and combine it with spinach. Add beaten egg and sour cream to the bowl and combine with cheese, spinach and onion.
• On a large work surface, place 1 sheet of phyllo. Paint half of the sheet with a little melted butter, paying extra attention to your perimeter. Fold sheet in half. Pile 1/4 of your spinach mixture into a log shape working 2 inches from bottom and each side. Tuck bottom up and fold both sides in, then roll and wrap upwards until you reach the edge of the dough sheet. Each pastry will resemble an egg roll. Paint the seam and the ends of the roll with butter and set roll seam side down on a cookie sheet. Repeat and make 4 rolls. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly golden all over and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place spinach in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender, about 2 to 6 minutes. Drain and press to remove all water. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until tender, but do not brown. Stir in cooked spinach and continue cooking until all moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• In a large bowl combine feta cheese, Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley and cinnamon. Stir in spinach and onion mixture.
• Brush the bottom of a 17x11 inch jelly roll pan with butter. Place 1 sheet of dough in the bottom of the pan; brush with butter. Continue to layer 13 more sheets of dough, brushing every other sheet with butter. Spread spinach and cheese mixture over dough. Continue layering with remaining dough, brushing every other sheet with butter. Tuck edges of dough under. Brush top sheet with butter and, using a sharp knife, score top layer into diamonds.
• Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, scallions and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes.
• In batches, stir in spinach until wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Strain spinach mixture through a sieve, pressing out excess liquid to prevent a soggy crust. Transfer to a large bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs, feta, Parmesan and parsley and stir until combined.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch pan (2 inches deep) with butter. Lay one half sheet of phyllo dough in baking dish. Using a pastry brush, brush dough with butter. Repeat 7 more times to form crust. Spread spinach mixture evenly over crust. Brush one half sheet of phyllo dough with butter and lay on top of filling, butter side up. Repeat with remaining 7 sheets of dough. Using a serrated knife, lightly score top layer of dough into squares (this will make it easier to cut once baked). Bake until crust is lightly golden and filling is heated through, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and add the scallions. Cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Meanwhile, squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and place it in a bowl. Add the scallions, dill, eggs, feta, salt, and pepper and mix together.
• Keep the phyllo dough sheets covered with a damp kitchen towel. Unfold 1 sheet of the phyllo dough. Brush the sheet with melted butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Repeat the process by laying a second sheet of phyllo dough over the first sheet, brush it with melted butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs until all 10 sheets have been used. Spoon 3/4 cup of the spinach mixture into a sausage shape along one edge of the phyllo dough. Roll it up. Brush the top with butter and score the roll into 1-inch rounds. Place it on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat until all the pastry and filling have been used.
• Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Serve warm.

Steps:

• For the spanaKALEpita: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-inch round (or square if you have) baking dishes with clarified butter.
• Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan set over medium heat. Add the onions and sweat until they are almost translucent and fully tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the kale in stages, reserving about a quarter of the kale for the salad, and increase the heat to medium-high. Continue to cook the kale, turning with tongs, until all is fully wilted. Season the kale mixture with salt and pepper. Add the red chile flakes and fold into the mixture, allowing the chile flakes to bloom, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the water from the feta and stir to combine.
• Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour the mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Process to help disperse the heat and steam, then let cool slightly. Add the feta and process until just combined. Put the kale mixture into a bowl and add the lemon zest and juice, parsley and oregano. Stir again until the mixture is fully incorporated. Allow the mixture to cool for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to release any trapped steam. Taste the mixture and adjust seasonings if necessary. Add the beaten eggs and mix again.
• For the assembly: Remove two sheets of phyllo dough from the package to a large (at least 30 inches long by 20 inches wide) working surface so that they lay next to each other. Brush 1 inch of the right edge of the first sheet with melted butter and overlay the second sheet. Brush the melted butter over the entirety of both sheets. Add the filling 3 to 4 inches away from the closest edge, in an even layer, keeping it as uniform as possible, in a cylindrical line on the buttered phyllo sheets. Fold the bottom edge over the top of the filling, then butter the top surface with melted butter and repeat until you have a long log. Wind the log into a tight spiral and add to the prepared baking dish. Brush the top with more melted butter. Repeat with the remaining filling and phyllo, placing 2 logs in each baking dish. Bake until flaky and golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.
• For the yogurt topping: Meanwhile, combine the Greek yogurt, dill, lemon, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Add to a squeeze bottle and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
• Add the reserved kale to a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Remove the baking dishes from the oven. Squeeze the Greek yogurt mixture over the top of the spanoKALEpita. Garnish each baking dish with the kale salad.

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan, add half of the spinach and saute until spinach wilts, tossing with tongs, about 2 minutes. Remove spinach and squeeze out excess liquid, then chop roughly. Repeat with remaining spinach, using 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Pour off any liquid from the pan, and add remaining olive oil. Add scallions and saute until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach to the scallions, along with the parsley, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. (This part can be done ahead and kept refrigerated).
• Stir the feta and as much beaten egg to moisten the cooled spinach mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a baking sheet with some of the melted butter.
• Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper and a damp towel so it doesn't dry out and become brittle. Using a sharp knife, cut the filo into 3 by 11 inch strips, and recover with the towel. Use a pastry brush to brush a strip of filo with melted butter. Place a small spoonful of spinach filling 1 inch from the end of the pastry. Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle, then continue to fold up the strip in triangles, like folding up a flag. Continue with remaining strips of dough, placing filled triangles on the baking sheet and keeping them covered with a towel until all are ready to bake.
• Brush the triangles lightly with butter, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Serve hot. (These may be frozen before baking, layering waxed paper between layers of triangles to keep them from sticking. Bake frozen triangles an extra 10 minutes.)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With a pastry brush, brush bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup water over medium-high. Working in batches, add spinach and cook, tossing, until completely wilted, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain, pressing out as much water as possible. Return skillet to heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Add leeks and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in nutmeg. Transfer spinach and leek mixture to a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped.
• Cut phyllo sheets to fit baking dish. Place 1 sheet in dish (keeping remaining sheets covered with a damp towel) and brush lightly with oil. Stack 7 more phyllo sheets on top, brushing each with oil. Spread half the spinach mixture over phyllo and evenly sprinkle half the feta on top. Add 8 more phyllo sheets, brushing each with oil. Spread with remaining spinach mixture and feta. Top with remaining 8 phyllo sheets, brushing each with oil.
• Bake until phyllo is golden and crisp on top, about 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.