Deep Dish Spanakopita Recipes

Steps:

• Position rack in center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the spinach in a wire-mesh strainer or colander, place over a sink and drain well. Use your hands or a paper towel to squeeze the excess water out of the spinach.
• Place the spinach in a medium mixing bowl. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and basil. Stir in the beaten egg, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add the feta cheese and mix well to combine. Set aside.
• Gently unfold the phyllo dough.* Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on a large cutting board and gently brush with the melted butter. Place a second phyllo sheet on top of the first and brush with butter. Repeat 2 more times until you have a stack of 4 phyllo sheets with butter brushed between the layers.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the phyllo sheets lengthwise into 3 strips. Place 2 tablespoons of the spinach filling 1 inch from the bottom end of each strip.
• Take the bottom right corner of the strip between your thumb and finger and fold over the spinach filling to the left to make a triangle. Gently pull up the bottom left corner and fold up to make a second triangle. Continue folding until you reach the top. Place the triangle, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the completed triangle lightly with butter.
• Repeat with the remaining strips and phyllo sheets until all of the filling is used.
• Arrange the triangles 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and heated all the way through. Remove the spanakopita from the oven and cool slightly on the baking sheet.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

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 the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Saute the garlic, leeks and shallots until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and scallions and cover the pot for a few minutes until spinach has wilted significantly. Uncover and simmer on medium-low heat to allow the liquids to evaporate (be sure not to let spinach mixture to burn). When the majority of the liquids have evaporated, transfer to a large bowl. Mix the feta, ricotta, kefalotiri, dill, mint, pepper, nutmeg and eggs in a large bowl. Gently fold the cheese mixture into the cooled spinach mixture.
• Brush a 15-by-10-inch rectangular pan with olive oil. Gently place one sheet of number-10 phyllo in the bottom of the pan and brush with olive oil, making sure to coat well. Repeat this step eight times. This creates a nice strong base for serving.
• Pour in the spinach filling. Use the entire box of number-7 phyllo on top of the spinach, making sure to coat each layer of dough very well with olive oil. Also make sure to tuck in edges of the phyllo around the pan to make it look pretty. Score the pie in appropriate portion sizes. Brush the top with the beaten eggs; this gives it the beautiful golden brown color that is achieved after approximately 1 hour of baking.

Steps:

• Position a rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Place half the spinach in a larger clean kitchen towel and wring out any excess moisture. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining spinach and transfer to the bowl.
• Melt 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of the butter in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and garlic and cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and stir until smooth and lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Pour in the milk and add a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the spinach, remove from the heat and stir to combine. Transfer the spinach mixture back into the bowl. Let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
• Fold the feta, parsley and dill into the spinach mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the eggs.
• Line the Bundt pan with phyllo: Melt the remaining 3 sticks butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Brush the inside of 10-cup metal Bundt pan with some of the butter.
• Unfold the phyllo dough and cover with a large damp cloth. Working with 1 sheet at a time, line the Bundt pan with half of the phyllo, brushing each sheet with melted butter after placing it in the pan. Cover the entire bottom and up the sides of the pan with the sheets; they will overlap and hang over the edge of the pan. The hole in the middle of the pan will be covered.
• Fill the phyllo-lined pan with the spinach mixture and fold over the overhanging pieces of phyllo so they lie flat on top of the filling.
• Cover the filling with phyllo: Working with 1 sheet at a time, cover the filling with the remaining phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet with melted butter after placing it in the Bundt pan. The phyllo will hang over the edge of the pan and cover the hole in the center. Push any of the overhang down and along the inside of the pan. Cut away the phyllo covering the hole with a small paring knife.
• Put the Bundt pan on a baking sheet and bake until the pastry becomes slightly domed and deep golden brown, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes then invert the pie onto a cutting board. Slice with a serrated knife.