Spanakopita: the recipe for making the typical Greek spinach pie at home

The recipe for Spanakopita, the traditional savory pie of Greek origins with a classic spiral shape, based on spinach and feta.

La prescription area of spanakopita, the traditional savory pie of Greek origins with a classic spiral shape, based on spinach and feta.

The name of this typical Hellenic preparation derives from the Greek words spanaki and pita (spinach and cake) and there are many variations and recipes to prepare it, depending not only on the place, but also on the period in which it is cooked. In the period of Lent, for example, it is offered in a "vegan" version without eggs and cheeses and with the addition of aromatic herbs such as parsley or dill.

In the traditional recipe, the spanakopita is made with a very rustic and particular dough based on flour and water which, for a homemade version, can be easily replaced with phyllo dough or, at least, with puff pastry. Its shape is typically spiral, even if the rectangular “home” version is very common and the one proposed instead as street food in small stuffed bundles.

Also to be served as single dish, accompanied by a good seasonal side dish, this one Spinach Cake it is really succulent and, even if served at room temperature, it does not lose its typical fragrance.

Index

Ingredients

150 gr of spinach already cleaned
15 gr of onion
250 g cheese
180 gr of feta
3 eggs
6 sheets of phyllo dough
extra virgin olive oil to taste

Preparation Time:
60 minutes
Cooking time:
40 minutes
Rest time:
-
Dose:
4 people to
difficulty:
medium / low

How to prepare the spanakopita: procedure

lavare the spinach thoroughly, then steam it for five minutes and let it cool,
to peel the onion, cut it into small pieces, put it in a pan with a drizzle of oil, cook it until golden and let it cool.
Mix ricotta and feta cheese in a large bowl,

add the spinach and onion now cold and start to mix,
shell now two eggs and incorporate them into the mixture,
shell also the third egg and beat it in a bowl,
place on the work surface a sheet of phyllo paper and brush it with freshly beaten egg,

cover up with the second sheet, brush it and cover this too with a third sheet of phyllo dough,
stuff the longer side with the spinach and cheese mixture covering almost half the sheet,
Than we cut with scissors along the filling thus dividing the sheet into two parts, e
wrap around on itself the stuffed pasta so as to obtain a cylinder,

continue in the same way thus obtaining four cylinders in all,
lining a round baking tray with parchment paper and place a first cylinder rolled up on itself in the center as if it were a spiral,
wrap around all around the other cylinders,
Than we brush them on the surface with beaten egg,
bake in a hot oven at 180 ° for about forty minutes or in any case until perfectly golden,

cooking when finished, take it out of the oven and let it cool down a bit before portioning.

One more tip:

The phyllo dough is very delicate, when rolling the cylinders it will be advisable to do it very gently because they could break, thus causing the filling to come out.