Spanakopita, span-uh-koh-pi-tuh.

 

 

 

 If you know anyone who is Greek, I am certain you have tasted the flaky, creamy, rustic saltiness that is Spanakopita.  Its name might even flow off your lips like a true immigrant...   

 

spa·na·ko·pi·ta  pænəˈkoʊpɪtə; Greek ˌspɑnɑˈkɔpitɑ/ Show Spelled span-uh-koh-pi-tuh;

 

But I bet you never made it before.... 


 

The ingredients...

5 eggs

1/2 lb feta, (or so) crumbled

15 oz (or so) cottage cheese

1 pkg. cream cheese (at room temperature)

15 oz (or so) ricotta
2 leeks. 

30 oz spinach 3- 10oz frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained or 2 bags of fresh spinach, chopped.

2 T chopped dill

1c chopped parsley (Italian parsley is always preferred.)

2 sticks melted butter  or 1 stick and 1/4 olive oil

one box of filo (not the thick but the regular.)

The (or so) is Greek for- a little more or less won't hurt the recipe.

Preparing the ingredients...
If you are not using fresh spinach, thaw frozen spinach in a colander and drain before you start to gather the other ingredients.

Leave cream cheese out to soften. 

Take filo dough out of box to rest on counter... but be sure to leave it in the plastic packaging. 

 

 

Leeks can be dirty and gritty so you have to cut and clean leeks.  You can also use Vidalia onions. 

 

 

Sauté leeks in some olive oil and a pinch of salt till tender. 

Meanwhile, as the spinach thaws and the leeks cook, gather your other ingredients... melt butter on low and add olive oil.  Note: You can use 2 sticks of butter or one stick with 1/4 c olive oil. 

Crumble the feta.  I think it's cheaper to crumble your own than buy it crumbled.

 

Combine cheeses and eggs.

 

When leeks are ready, squeeze liquid out of spinach and add to leeks. 

Combine leeks/spinach with cheeses.

 

Add dill, parsley, and stir.

YUMM!!

To assemble...


Brush butter onto pan.  You can use a glass pan for a thicker meal portion or a jelly roll/cookie sheet with a lip for smaller appetizer portions.  I am using a glass pan and not brushing butter onto my counter.  :)

Carefully unroll filo dough from packaging.  We call these sheets of filo because if they are fresh and kept moist, they will lay like a bed sheet. 

Keep it under a damp... NOT DRIPPING... tea towel so it doesn't dry out.  Dried filo is useless.

Layer 6 sheets of filo, buttering each sheet, including the part that is hanging over the pan.

layer 1

butter layer

layer 2

6 layers 
Don't worry that the filo sheets are hanging out. 
We will take care of that later.  Just remember to butter it as well. 

Scoop out 1/2 of the filling onto the filo.  You can use 1/3 and break this down into 3 steps... or 1/4 and have 4 steps.  All depends on how much filo you want to use. 

Remember to fill to edge.

Add 2 more sheets, buttering each sheet. 

layer 1

layer 2

Some areas of Greece will prepare spanakopita with rumpled filo sheets,

like a messy bed, during this part of the assembly.  

Repeat above step or add remaining filling.



Remember to keep filo under a towel while you are filling the pan, at least until you get really fast during this process. 

After the last filling, fold the filo that was hanging out of the pan, in... this won't be necessary for the larger pans.

Butter the edges again. 

 

Cut the filo sheets to fit the pan.

 

Layer 6-8 more sheets of filo, buttering each sheet.

Almost done. 

Generously butter the top sheet.

Chill and cut before you bake...

Filo is a fickle ingredient.  It needs to stay moist to assemble, and once it cooks it's the flaky pastry you love! Which means you have to cut it before you cook it, or it will be a complete flaky mess.  But if you were to cut it during this part of the process the gooiness of the cheese filling will also make a mess.  To fix this, chill the spanakopita in the fridge (or freezer if you are in a hurry) for 20 minutes so the filling can set. 

Now that your spanakopita has chilled, cut the serving pieces.

I start in the middle to make even proportions. 

Cut in both directions.

One final layer of butter.

Almost done!  You can now freeze it till later or cook it now. 

 

To freeze...

Cover with wax paper.

Cover with saran wrap.

Cover with aluminum foil and freeze till you need it. 

I do not recommend using a glass pan if you want to freeze the spanakopita. 

When you are ready to bake...

Brush an egg wash over the spanakopita... a beaten egg with 1 T water.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes... the thicker the spanakopita, the longer it will take.

Wait till the top is a golden brown color.

ENJOY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reusing Christmas Cards for Paper Ornaments

 

 

 

 

Before you clear out all your Christmas decorations, here is a sweet craft for your tree. 

 

 

With your Christmas cards, a few colored card stock sheets of paper, glue, scissors, a circle to trace or a 2' hole punch and string, you can make ornaments for next year.

 

You need 6 same-sized circles.  If the back of the card isn't colored, use colored card stock that matches.  Try to use at least three interesting images from the card.  I used the three Wise Men from the front and back of the card,  and I used the city in the distance. 

I try to find three light and three dark circles or three print and three solid.  This makes the ornaments more interesting. 

Fold the circles in half, being sure to center the crease on the image. 

Glue the sides together, leaving the last two sides free, as an opening for the string.

Using string, ribbon, or cord, cut a 15 inch piece, fold it in half, tie a knot leaving a 3 inch loop, and another knot at the bottom of the ornament to leave a tassel. 

Glue the final tabs together, securing the string in the ornament.

 

This time, I didn't have a 2 inch hole punch, so I tried tracing and cutting out the circles.  I didn't do so good.  So when the tabs were all glued together I went back and trimmed it, pairing a tab at a time until they all matched.

 

Other examples:

Starting the New Year with Liturgy and Vasilopita

Happy New Year!  Across the world Orthodox Christian faithful are bringing in the New Year with Divine Liturgy celebrating the 8th Day of Christmas... the Circumcision of Our Lord,  

 

And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.  Luke 2:21

 

...and the feast day for St. Basil the Great, Vasilios in Greek.  Part of our tradition is we make a cake or bread, both are called a Vasilopita, with a coin in it remembering St. Basil's generosity towards the poor and his desire to share his wealth by hiding money in loaves of bread he offered for nourishment.  The person who finds the coin in their piece is considered to have a blessed year. 

This year I used a cake recipe from Festival of Greek Flavors; A Mediterranean Culinary Adventure , the cookbook from the Philoptochos of the Assumption Cathedral in Denver, CO, a chapter in a national philanthropic organization group of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. 

The cake is a dense pound cake with a hint of orange and a splash of bourbon.  It can be decorated with sifted powered sugar or slivers of almonds. 

I used chop sticks to pick up stray almonds. 

Ready to go into the oven. 

Cooling... we almost didn't get it out of the pan to serve on a platter... I didn't grease the pan enough. 
Next time I will use parchment or wax paper to line the pan.

This year, to honor my patron saint,  I offered a cake to share with the parishioners who attended the service.

The blessed piece!  The gold coin can be purchased at Patmos Press.  A description of the Vasilopita tradition and a recipe for a cake is included in the packaging.   Or you can wrap a quarter or dime in aluminum foil. 

 

 

Wishing You and Yours a Blessed New Year

and all Your Heart Desires!