Spanakopita Recipe

[Andy M.]

As requested:

SPANAKOPITA

2 Tb Oil
1 Bnch Scallions, minced
20 Oz Frozen Chopped Spinach, squeezed dry
½ Lb Feta Cheese, crumbled
½ Lb Cottage Cheese
¼ C Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 Ea Eggs
¾ tsp Dill
¼ tsp Mint
⅛ ts Black Pepper
⅛ C Parsley, minced
TT Salt
8 Tb Butter, melted
½ Lb Filo dough at room temp.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the scallions for 5 minutes. Do not brown. Set it aside to cool.

Defrost the spinach and press the water out of it. Place the spinach in a large mixing bowl and combine it with all the remaining ingredients, including the scallions, except the butter and filo. Taste the filling and salt to taste.

The recipe can be prepared ahead of time up to this point and refrigerated for a day or two.

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Brush butter onto the bottom of a 13”x9” glass baking dish.

Open the filo package and lay the sheets flat on the work surface. Cover with a damp towel. Keep the dough sheets covered during use.

Place a single sheet of filo into the buttered pan. Brush the filo in the pan with melted butter. Repeat until there are 10 buttered sheets in the pan.

Spread the filling evenly over the filo.

Continue layering buttered sheets of filo dough using the process described above on top of the filling using the remaining sheets. Butter the top layer.

Place the completed pan in the freezer for 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, cut the Spanakopita into 12 squares.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the pan on a cooling rack for 20-30 minutes before serving.

 

[JustJoel]

This sounds great, copied to my database. But what are “Ea eggs?”

 

[GotGarlic]

This sounds great, copied to my database. But what are “Ea eggs?”

"Ea" stands for "each."

 

[taxlady]

This sounds great Andy. Can this be frozen?

 

[taxlady]

Sounds great Andy. Is there a way to freeze part of this? Sounds like too much for just me and DH to eat before we get tired of it.

 

[Kayelle]

Thanks for this Andy. You really should add that beautiful picture to this thread.

I really want to make this because of it. It's great that you and SO made it together, and we'll do that too.

I have an intense dislike of Feta cheese however, so I'll be subbing it for Queso Fresco which should work just fine.

 

[GotGarlic]

Sounds great Andy. Is there a way to freeze part of this? Sounds like too much for just me and DH to eat before we get tired of it.

Yes, you can freeze this. I made small ones for a party appetizer once, a week ahead of time. I think I baked them from frozen, for a little longer than you would fresh.

 

[Andy M.]

This sounds great, copied to my database. But what are “Ea eggs?”

2 Each. So there is a unit of measure with each ingredient.

 

[Andy M.]

We freeze cooked filo dough recipes all the time. Sapnakopita and paklava. They thaw well.

No doubt you can freeze it uncooked too.

 

[taxlady]

Yes, you can freeze this. I made small ones for a party appetizer once, a week ahead of time. I think I baked them from frozen, for a little longer than you would fresh.

Did you make the sealed, triangular ones? I can understand how that would work. But, I can't see portioning the big one to freeze unbaked. Wouldn't it just all flow out the sides while you were portioning?

We freeze cooked filo dough recipes all the time. Sapnakopita and paklava. They thaw well.

No doubt you can freeze it uncooked too.

Thanks, glad to hear they thaw well baked.

 

[Andy M.]

Did you make the sealed, triangular ones? I can understand how that would work. But, I can't see portioning the big one to freeze unbaked. Wouldn't it just all flow out the sides while you were portioning?


Thanks, glad to hear they thaw well baked.

I would only freeze the unbaked spanakopita whole in the baking dish. Then bake it, portion and freeze.

Of course, you could make smaller portions in disposable foil baking dishes and freeze those uncooked.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

I would only freeze the unbaked spanakopita whole in the baking dish. Then bake it, portion and freeze.

Of course, you could make smaller portions in disposable foil baking dishes and freeze those uncooked.

Now there's a plan Andy!
I was just thinking that a 9x13 pan of one dish is far too much
for us two. I could always share with the neighbors

 

[taxlady]

I would only freeze the unbaked spanakopita whole in the baking dish. Then bake it, portion and freeze.

Of course, you could make smaller portions in disposable foil baking dishes and freeze those uncooked.

I thought about that, but it sounded like it would be a lot more effort to make it in smaller containers. Wouldn't I would have to cut the filo sheets to the right sizes? Are the sheets a standard size? How big are they?

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Taxy, I was thinking the same thing.
I found this :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiLlAblluWw
I think I can cut the entire roll of Phyllo in half
and then tuck in any extra corners
Andy, what say you?

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Thanks for this Andy. You really should add that beautiful picture to this thread.

I really want to make this because of it. It's great that you and SO made it together, and we'll do that too.

I have an intense dislike of Feta cheese however, so I'll be subbing it for Queso Fresco which should work just fine.

Picture? Where? I can't find that …

 

[taxlady]

I think I might try making the triangles. Then I could freeze some of the uncooked triangles for another time. Here's a video that shows how to fold them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gun78bmafws

 

[Kayelle]

Taxy, I was thinking the same thing.
I found this :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiLlAblluWw
I think I can cut the entire roll of Phyllo in half
and then tuck in any extra corners
Andy, what say you?

I can only guess what Andy will say, but I think if you cut the entire roll of Phyllo in half the cut edge of the sheets will stick together. That cooking spray trick is really cool, although I would get the butter spray.

Picture? Where? I can't find that …

The picture is at the March 10th dinner thread Kgirl.

 

[GotGarlic]

2 Each. So there is a unit of measure with each ingredient.

You could also use "large."

 

[GotGarlic]

Did you make the sealed, triangular ones? I can understand how that would work. But, I can't see portioning the big one to freeze unbaked. Wouldn't it just all flow out the sides while you were portioning?

Yes, I made the triangular ones. I have two 8x8" baking dishes, so I would portion a casserole into those. I do that with lasagna. It's a little more work than making one large one, but less than making it twice.

The triangular ones are nice since you can thaw and bake as many as you want.

 

[Andy M.]

I have seen filo dough in two different formats. One is like the box in the video. Two rolls of 20 sheets each just the right size for a 13x9 pan. They're actually a little bigger but it's OK to have the sheets ride up the sides of the pan.

The other format I've seen is a single roll of 20 sheets 13"x18" (approx.). Then you have to cut the sheets in half to make 40 sheets 13x9.

The first format is perfect for the spanakopita recipe as it calls for one of the smaller packages-20 sheets. I would got with this format as you're only using half the box and the other roll will keep better in it's original packaging.

The second format is the amount we use for paklava as the recipe calls for a full pound of filo (40 sheets after cutting).

As for using smaller pans, if you cut the 13x9 sheets in half, you'll get 6.5x9. You should be able to find foil pans of approximately that size. Cutting the sheets is easy with a sharp knife or even a pizza cutter. The cut edges don't stick together.

The beauty of filo recipes, be it spanakopita or paklava or whatever, is the richness of the butter along with the filling. It also crisps the filo and browns it nicely. I would NOT use a spray.