Phyllo Spinach Pie (Spanokopita)

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Phyllo Spinach Pie ( " Spanokopita " )

 

Recipe By :Dreena Burton

Serving Size : 5 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories :

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil -- for saute

1 3/4 cups red onion -- finely chopped

4 garlic cloves -- (4 to 5) minced

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

fresh ground pepper to taste

1 300-g package frozen spinach -- thawed, or 8-9 cups fresh spinach,

packed, roughly chopped

3/4 cup extra-firm or firm tofu -- finely minced (food processor

is easiest)

1/4 cup fresh dill -- finely chopped

3 tablespoons soy/rice parmesan

2 teaspoons lemon juice -- (preferably fresh squeezed)

4 teaspoons rice vinegar -- (4 to 5) (preferably seasoned)

11 full sheets phyllo pastry -- (11 to 12)

3 tablespoons olive oil -- (or oil spritzer) (to brush pastry

 

Sidebars:

This is a wonderful alternative to the traditional spanokopita which is heavy

with feta cheese and sometimes eggs. The tofu is minced until it is almost

powder fine, so it is not tasteless and chunky as some vegan versions of this

recipe can be. This does take a little longer to make than other recipes here,

but it's well worth it!

 

This pie is nice served with a fresh, crunchy salad topped with " Creamy Dijon

Dill Dressing " (p. 77) or " Lemon Curry Dressing " (p. 78). And extra dressing to

drizzle over the pie to moisten it is quite delicious!

 

Preheat oven to 350F. In a skillet, heat the 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil over medium

heat. Add onions, garlic, sea salt, and black pepper and saute for 6-7 minutes,

until onions are soft and translucent. Remove from heat and let cool while

preparing the other ingredients. If using frozen spinach which has been thawed,

place it in a colander and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. (if using

fresh spinach, place it in a colander with a bowl underneath and pour boiling

water over to blanch it. Repeat process until spinach is just wilted, which

should take a minute or two. Rinse spinach under cold water, then squeeze well

to remove as much liquid as possible.) Roughly chop spinach. In a large mixing

bowl, combine all ingredients (except the phyllo pastry and the 3 tbsp olive

oil), and mix very well. Let mixture cool a little before layering pastry.

 

Lightly oil an 8 " x 12 " baking dish. To layer the phyllo, take the full sheets of

pastry and cut them in half along the longest side so that once cut, the half

sheets will fit your baking dish. (if using another size dish, cut your phyllo

sheets accordingly to fit your dish, keeping in mind that you may need more than

12 sheets.) Brush or spray a half sheet with a little of the 3 tbsp olive oil,

then layer with another sheet and repeat process. Continue until you have 5

sheets layered (you do not need to brush the 5th sheet, since it will have the

filling placed on it). Place layered sheets on bottom of baking dish. Distribute

about 1/3 of your filling over the layer of pastry. Prepare another layer of

phyllo sheets, this time using 4 sheets, then layer with another 1/3 of filling.

Repeat with another layer of 4 sheets, and finally the last 1/3 of filling.

Place one sheet of phyllo and place this on top of the last layer of filling. To

top the dish, brush each last sheet of phyllo with olive oil. Gently bring the

edges of each sheet together with your fingertips to make loose wrinkles. Place

each wrinkled sheet on top of dish, filling the entire surface area. You should

be able to fit 8-9 half sheets on top like this. Don't worry about it being

perfect, the idea is to have a decorative look, and the wrinkled sheets will

look beautiful when baked. Trim around edge of pie with a sharp knife to remove

any extra phyllo. Bake for 23-25 minutes, until the pastry is nicely browned.

(If refrigerating before baking, cover with plastic wrap; once chilled, your

baking time will be a bit longer.) Makes 5 servings.

 

For 5 servings, per serving: Calories: 380; Total Fat: 16.3 g (Sat. Fat: 2.2 g);

Cholesterol: 0 mg; Carbohydrate: 46.2 g; Fiber: 4.2 g; Protein: 12.2 g.

 

 

 

Source:

" The Everyday Vegan "

Copyright:

" 2001 Dreena Burton "

 

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 148 Calories; 12g Fat (71.7% calories

from fat); 3g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 141mg

Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 2 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

 

 

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0