Spanakopita – Greek spinach, greens and herb pie (without cheese) According to this website – http://greekfood.about.com/od/greekbreadspitas/r/spanakopita1.htm?p=1 Traditional spanakopita does not have cheese….. I used a mix of spinach, silverbeet, leeks and mint…
Prep time- 20 mins Cook time- 1 hour
Ingredients: 5 pounds fresh spinach (or mix of spinach and other leafy greens) 1 bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped 1 bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped 8 spring onions, finely chopped 1 bunch of fennel leaves, finely chopped (or 1 medium leek, or 1 bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped) ¾ cup of olive oil 1 pound package of phyllo pastry sheets Sea salt Freshly ground pepper.
Preparation: Wash the spinach (and other greens if using) well in cold water, removing roots and damaged leaves. Chop coarsely and place in a colander, salt lightly and let drain for 10 minutes. Press or squeeze to remove all excess liquid. In a large mixing bowl, combine greens, dill, parsley, onions, fennel, pepper and half the oil, and mix well until ingredients are well blended. Preheat oven to 350F (175C) Brush the pan with oil (pan can be any shape). When laying the sheets in the pan, leave an overlap of phyllo outside the pan rim all the way around. Lay half the phyllo sheets on the bottom, brushing each one with loive oil. Spoon in the spinach mixture and spread evenly. Fold the extending phyllo in over the mixture. Lay the remaining phyllo sheets on top, brushing each with oil except the top sheet. Trim the top phyllo with scissors, and score the top into serving size squares. Brush the top with oil. Wet your hands and shake off the excess water over the tip of the pita. Bake at 350F (175C) for 1 hour on the rack just below the middle of the oven. When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool ½ an hour before serving.
This was Annabelle's contribution: Bougatsa This recipe was my selection for the Greek theme dinner, made from Tessa Kiros “ Falling Cloud berries”.
2 litres of milk, 300g castor sugar, 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspn vanilla essence, 170g semolina, 250g butter about 350g filo pastry, 3 eggs plus 2 yolks lightly beaten, 2tbspn icing sugar aprox, 2 teaspn cinnamon.
Trick getting the filo pastry into the size of your roasting dish, then getting the filo in individual layers. Much easier with help. Bougatsa is best served warm with tea or glass of vin santo, moscato or port. Put milk sugar, vanilla in small saucepan, bring to the boil. Pour in the semolina in a thin steady, stream. Holding it high and stirring constantly. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until semolina thickens. Remove from heat and leave to cool. Remove the vanilla bean if using, take 2 tbspns of the melted butter and stir into the semolina mix, plus the beaten eggs. Pour this mix over the layers of filo in the baking dish. Preheat the oven to 180c and have large oven proof dish ready. The dish should be 15cm x 26cm and at least 6cm deep. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, using a pastry brush, brush mixture onto the bottom of dish. Lay first sheet of filo down, allowing the excess to hang over the sides. Brush the pastry with more melted butter, and add another sheet of filo repeating the butter/filo process until 12 sheets of filo then add the custard mix ( see above). Add another 7 sheets of filo/ butter. Cut the last sheet to fit round the dish exactly and brush with butter.
This bit is tricky use a very sharp pointed knife to score serving portions like a grid on the surface of filo. Do now as impossible to do once cooked!! You should get about 20 servings. Bake in middle of the oven for 15minute at 180c then reduce temp to150c for a further 45minutes. Remove from oven dust top with icing sugar and cinnamon, return to oven for another 10 minutes. Leave to cool before cutting into serving portions.
Christine’s recipe for November – Greek meal – Featherston From- The Second Black Dog Cottage Cookbook
(Page 13) Tomato Keftedes with tsatziki Makes about 20
20 small tomatoes, chopped in half Sea salt 1 bunch thyme, leaves only ½ bunch mint, finely chopped ½ bunch chervil, finely chopped 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 2 bunches spring onions, finely chopped 120g feta, broken into small pieces Salt and pepper Oil for frying
For the batter: 2 eggs whisked 60-70g flour Sparkling mineral water Method: 1. Pre-heat the oven to 100C. Cut the tomatoes in half, place them on a rack in a roasting dish and sprinkle with plenty of sea salt and thyme leaves. Leave for 8 hours or so. 2. Make the batter, adding enough sparkling mineral water to produce a batter the consistency of slightly thickened pouring cream. Leave to stand in a mixing bowl. 3. Mix the herbs, spring onion, feta and chopped tomatoes into the batter. 4. Pour the oil into a large frying pan to cover the bottom. When hot but not smoking, fry the keftedes in the hot oil. Keep the keftedes quit flat. Turn over, cooking until lightly golden all over. 5. Serve with tsatziki Rolled baklava with Orange Syrup and Greek Yoghurt (p130) Makes about 36 200g shelled walnuts 160g shelled almonds 140g shelled pistachios Box of filo pastry 150g melted butter 2 eggs beaten to make egg wash
Orange Syrup 250ml honey 400ml water 300g caster sugar Zest and juice of 2 oranges 1 stick of cinnamon
Method: 1. Make the syrup first by boiling up the honey, water, sugar, orange zest, juice and cinnamon together until the syrup just begins to thicken. Leave to cool. 2. Roast nuts together at about 200C for about 4-5 minutes. Chop finely. If you do this on a food processor, do it in small batches so you don’t turn the nuts to dust! 3. Lay out a sheet of filo. Brush it with the melted butter and then the egg wash. Cover with another sheet and do the same. Halve the sheets of filo. I find this more manageable than dealing with one long roll. 4. Sprinkle over a light coating of nuts, leaving 1cm uncovered along the short edge to help make a seal. 5. Roll the pastry up, brushing with egg and butter as you go. Egg wash the outside and place the swiss roll on baking paper on a baking sheet. Refrigerate each roll as you complete it. 6. Bake the rolls for 5 minutes on 200C, then turn oven down to 130C and continue baking until they become golden brown. 7. Curt rolls into 8cm lengths when cool and leave to soak in some syrup overnight. Do not refrigerate as they will solidify. Serve with thick yoghurt and a little more syrup.
Spanakopita – Greek spinach, greens and herb pie (without cheese)
ReplyDeleteAccording to this website – http://greekfood.about.com/od/greekbreadspitas/r/spanakopita1.htm?p=1
Traditional spanakopita does not have cheese…..
I used a mix of spinach, silverbeet, leeks and mint…
Prep time- 20 mins
Cook time- 1 hour
Ingredients:
5 pounds fresh spinach (or mix of spinach and other leafy greens)
1 bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped
1 bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
8 spring onions, finely chopped
1 bunch of fennel leaves, finely chopped (or 1 medium leek, or 1 bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped)
¾ cup of olive oil
1 pound package of phyllo pastry sheets
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper.
Preparation:
Wash the spinach (and other greens if using) well in cold water, removing roots and damaged leaves. Chop coarsely and place in a colander, salt lightly and let drain for 10 minutes. Press or squeeze to remove all excess liquid.
In a large mixing bowl, combine greens, dill, parsley, onions, fennel, pepper and half the oil, and mix well until ingredients are well blended.
Preheat oven to 350F (175C)
Brush the pan with oil (pan can be any shape). When laying the sheets in the pan, leave an overlap of phyllo outside the pan rim all the way around. Lay half the phyllo sheets on the bottom, brushing each one with loive oil.
Spoon in the spinach mixture and spread evenly. Fold the extending phyllo in over the mixture. Lay the remaining phyllo sheets on top, brushing each with oil except the top sheet. Trim the top phyllo with scissors, and score the top into serving size squares.
Brush the top with oil. Wet your hands and shake off the excess water over the tip of the pita.
Bake at 350F (175C) for 1 hour on the rack just below the middle of the oven. When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool ½ an hour before serving.
Result: hmm. Needed cheese!!!! Wouldn't do again.
This was Annabelle's contribution:
ReplyDeleteBougatsa
This recipe was my selection for the Greek theme dinner, made from Tessa Kiros “ Falling Cloud berries”.
2 litres of milk, 300g castor sugar, 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspn vanilla essence, 170g semolina, 250g butter about 350g filo pastry, 3 eggs plus 2 yolks lightly beaten, 2tbspn icing sugar aprox, 2 teaspn cinnamon.
Trick getting the filo pastry into the size of your roasting dish, then getting the filo in individual layers. Much easier with help. Bougatsa is best served warm with tea or glass of vin santo, moscato or port.
Put milk sugar, vanilla in small saucepan, bring to the boil. Pour in the semolina in a thin steady, stream. Holding it high and stirring constantly. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until semolina thickens. Remove from heat and leave to cool. Remove the vanilla bean if using, take 2 tbspns of the melted butter and stir into the semolina mix, plus the beaten eggs. Pour this mix over the layers of filo in the baking dish.
Preheat the oven to 180c and have large oven proof dish ready. The dish should be 15cm x 26cm and at least 6cm deep. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, using a pastry brush, brush mixture onto the bottom of dish. Lay first sheet of filo down, allowing the excess to hang over the sides. Brush the pastry with more melted butter, and add another sheet of filo repeating the butter/filo process until 12 sheets of filo then add the custard mix ( see above). Add another 7 sheets of filo/ butter. Cut the last sheet to fit round the dish exactly and brush with butter.
This bit is tricky use a very sharp pointed knife to score serving portions like a grid on the surface of filo. Do now as impossible to do once cooked!! You should get about 20 servings.
Bake in middle of the oven for 15minute at 180c then reduce temp to150c for a further 45minutes. Remove from oven dust top with icing sugar and cinnamon, return to oven for another 10 minutes. Leave to cool before cutting into serving portions.
NB. I halved the recipe when I made this.
Here are Christine's recipes:
ReplyDeleteChristine’s recipe for November – Greek meal – Featherston
From- The Second Black Dog Cottage Cookbook
(Page 13) Tomato Keftedes with tsatziki
Makes about 20
20 small tomatoes, chopped in half
Sea salt
1 bunch thyme, leaves only
½ bunch mint, finely chopped
½ bunch chervil, finely chopped
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 bunches spring onions, finely chopped
120g feta, broken into small pieces
Salt and pepper
Oil for frying
For the batter:
2 eggs whisked
60-70g flour
Sparkling mineral water
Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 100C. Cut the tomatoes in half, place them on a rack in a roasting dish and sprinkle with plenty of sea salt and thyme leaves. Leave for 8 hours or so.
2. Make the batter, adding enough sparkling mineral water to produce a batter the consistency of slightly thickened pouring cream. Leave to stand in a mixing bowl.
3. Mix the herbs, spring onion, feta and chopped tomatoes into the batter.
4. Pour the oil into a large frying pan to cover the bottom. When hot but not smoking, fry the keftedes in the hot oil. Keep the keftedes quit flat. Turn over, cooking until lightly golden all over.
5. Serve with tsatziki
Rolled baklava with Orange Syrup and Greek Yoghurt (p130)
Makes about 36
200g shelled walnuts
160g shelled almonds
140g shelled pistachios
Box of filo pastry
150g melted butter
2 eggs beaten to make egg wash
Orange Syrup
250ml honey
400ml water
300g caster sugar
Zest and juice of 2 oranges
1 stick of cinnamon
Method:
1. Make the syrup first by boiling up the honey, water, sugar, orange zest, juice and cinnamon together until the syrup just begins to thicken. Leave to cool.
2. Roast nuts together at about 200C for about 4-5 minutes. Chop finely. If you do this on a food processor, do it in small batches so you don’t turn the nuts to dust!
3. Lay out a sheet of filo. Brush it with the melted butter and then the egg wash. Cover with another sheet and do the same. Halve the sheets of filo. I find this more manageable than dealing with one long roll.
4. Sprinkle over a light coating of nuts, leaving 1cm uncovered along the short edge to help make a seal.
5. Roll the pastry up, brushing with egg and butter as you go. Egg wash the outside and place the swiss roll on baking paper on a baking sheet. Refrigerate each roll as you complete it.
6. Bake the rolls for 5 minutes on 200C, then turn oven down to 130C and continue baking until they become golden brown.
7. Curt rolls into 8cm lengths when cool and leave to soak in some syrup overnight. Do not refrigerate as they will solidify. Serve with thick yoghurt and a little more syrup.