Spinach and Feta Pie (Spanakopita)
Ingredients:
5 heaped tablespoons of all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
For the filling:
1kg of spinach
2 bunches of fresh onions (8-10 onions)
2 leeks (only the white, tender part)
1 bunch of dill
500-600g feta cheese
5 tablespoons of olive oil
A little pepper
Method:
Clean and wash the spinach, leeks, onions and dill. Finely chop the spinach, lightly salt it, squeeze well to extract excess moisture and put in a bowl. Then finely chop the leeks, onions and dill and add the 5 tablespoons of olive oil, crumbled feta cheese and pepper.
In a separate bowl, sift 5 full tablespoons of flour. Make a well in the centre and pour in
the olive oil, vinegar and lukewarm water (not all of it), salt and sugar, and knead. If the dough is hard, add a little water, if it’s soft, add a little flour.
Divide the dough into 5 balls, one large and four smaller ones. Allow to rest for about half an hour.
Roll out the sheets with a rolling pin. Roll out the largest dough ball first, place it on the greased baking sheet (make it overlap) and brush with oil. Then roll out a smaller dough ball, place it on the baking sheet (without overlapping), brush with oil and pour in half the filling. Roll out the smallest of the 5 dough balls, place it on top of the filling, brush with oil and pour in the rest of the filling. Close the filling with the overlapping filo sheet.
Open the fourth sheet, place it on top of the filling and oil it. Open the final sheet and with a brush, close the sheets around the pan.
Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife, brush with oil and place in a preheated oven at 190 degrees Celsius for about an hour.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.
Good luck!
Recipe by Eleni Mandilara