Greek Food

[tod2]

On Blah Blah Blah I see Mark said " bake some bread, try and make some Greek spinakopita thingies"
Actually the dish is Spanakopita.

I found this different version by Geoffrey Zakarian.

Baked Brie Spanakopita
Recipe:
Ingredients

1 cup thawed frozen spinach, squeezed of excess water using a clean towel
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
One 12- to 14-ounce wheel Brie cheese
3 frozen phyllo dough sheets (18 by 14 inches), thawed
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
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Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the spinach, feta, ricotta, scallions, parsley and garlic in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the Brie in half through the equator. Place the filling in the center of the cheese and top with the other half.

Lay 1 sheet of phyllo onto a work surface and brush with butter. Lay another sheet down and turn it slightly, keeping the center point. Brush with butter. Repeat to make a complete wheel with the last sheet. Brush with butter. Place the cheese wheel in the center of the phyllo and wrap the phyllo, twisting the top vertically. Some pieces may crumble.

Brush with more butter and transfer to a roasting rack on a baking sheet. Bake until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Allow to rest on a cooling rack for another 15 minutes before serving.

[onlyMark]

I hope the ones I've made will taste better now I can spell it correctly.

My ingredients are about the same as your recipe but I've used fresh spinach and obviously, no brie. I would try yours but brie here costs more than gold.

[kerouac2]

I also thought it was interesting that the recipe did not suggest fresh spinach, but it might have been published in a country where fresh spinach is hard to find. I guess that if you live in a place like Mongolia, a seafood recipe might call for thawed frozen prawns...

[mickthecactus]

I went to Greece in June and virtually became a veggie as their veg dishes were so tasty.
Doing the same in Spain now.

[bixaorellana]

Oct 7, 2017 13:56:14 GMT kerouac2 said:

I also thought it was interesting that the recipe did not suggest fresh spinach

I have seen that suggestion for defrosted squeezed frozen spinach many times in Greek recipes, often also specifying that it be chopped frozen spinach. My guess is that it's the easiest way to get exactly the right amount and consistency for the spinach, which will after all be getting more cooking.

[mickthecactus]

Frozen spinach is great for Indian cooking. Lamb saag should end up like velvet.

[kerouac2]

I must just assume that people who do not cook fresh spinach regularly have absolutely no idea how much it will shrink, so using already cooked spinach takes out the guesswork.

[tod2]

On my zip around the supermarket this week I spotted a new product on their shelves. Greek beans or Gigantes . I have always had to use butter beans which are imported from Poland and can have very tough skins.
Besides making the tomato based Greek Gigantes dish, I wondered if these beans would grow in my garden? If they have been radiated ( Is that the word?) to lengthen shelf life I dare say they are dead inside.
Going to put three beans in between cotton wool - like in biology class - and see what happens.

[kerouac2]

I love experiments.