It was the first thing to go.
There were rave reviews around the table.
We were picking at the leftover shards of filo pastry long after the last piece had disappeared.
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But the biggest compliment?Silence.To say my group of friends are chatty is a bit of an understatement.
So when something renders them totally silent at the table?Its a serious compliment!!
Fresh spinach
Skip the frozen spinach and convenience bags of baby spinach.
A combination thats as Greek as it gets!
Dill and mint The fresh herb flavours bring an unmissable taste to Spanakopita.
Greek yogurt Or other unsweetened plain yogurt.
It tastes somewhat like parmesan but is different and not as salty or sharp.
Its sold at Woolworths and Coles in Australia, or European/Greek delis.
Egg is, after all, the best food glue known to mankind!
Garlic Because rarely will you see a Greek dish without garlic (usually much more than just one clove!
It brings an extra littlesomething-somethingto this Spanakopita!
Sesame seeds To sprinkle on the surface.
Also known as phyllo pastry, this is a very thin, parchment-like pastry.
It comes frozen or fresh, in the fridge section of grocery stores.
It can be prone to breaking if not handled correctly.
But if you follow a few simple steps, theres nothing tricky about it at all!
Never give a shot to speed up thawing by placing in a warm environment.
Dont manhandle it like a slice of ham!
But a little effort aside, I think youll be surprise how straightforward Spanakopita is to make!
A little tip I picked up from one of the best Greek restaurants in Sydney,Alpha Restaurant!
Bundle it up and twist firmly to squeeze out the water.
Its easiest to work with a handful at a time so you could do this step properly.
Part 2: Assembling
You sometimes see Spanakopita baked in a pie dish.
As noted above, I recommend using refrigerated rather than frozen filo pastry because its easier to work with.
Its more pliable, and theres no need to plan ahead and thaw overnight.
This makes it more pliable and less prone to breaking.
Any thicker, and theres too much filling.
Any thinner, and theres too much pastry!
Brush with butter then sprinkle with kefalotyri cheese.
Cover with another sheet of filo pastry and repeat.
It also encourages more puffiness for these layers.
However its really not a big deal if you forget!
Part 3: Finishing
The crimping you see in these steps is optional.
It is perfectly acceptable just to press down and seal the edges flat against the tray!
We love it, and we want lots of it.
I was concerned the base might get soggy, but I was wrong.
Me, trying to get some work done in the front (passenger ) seat!
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