Authentic Greek Spanakopita with Mixed Greens

This authentic Greek spanakopita with mixed greens, (often referred as “hortópita“) is a recipe that I have wanted to share with you on the blog for quite some time now!  The region of Epiros in northwestern Greece (where I was born) is famous for having the best filo pies (pites) and I grew up eating them on a weekly basis.  My mother and grandmother were great cooks and I have very fond memories of them making their own homemade filo dough for these pies.  It was truly a labor of love!

Spanakopita, the iconic Greek spinach and filo dish comes in many forms and sizes:  from the traditional large spanakopita baked in round copper pans in wood-burning ovens, to the more convenient rectangular pan size baked in your own kitchen ovens, to the smaller, appetizer-sized filo triangles.  No matter what the form, the common thread is the many layers of flaky, crispy, golden filo dough that enclose the delicious filling!

Natural Superfood Ingredients

In older times, people in Greece would go out foraging for wild greens to use as a filling for their filo pies.  Some people, especially those in the villages, still do, but you have to have the skill at identifying what is edible and what is not!  Nowadays, Greeks usually browse their local open markets and get the greens that are in season.

If you want to use only spinach and a few aromatics, you can still make a delicious spanakopita, but the more variety of greens you can add to the filling the better the flavor will be and the more natural superfood ingredients we add to our diet, the better it is for our health.

 Ingredients for an Authentic Greek Spanakopita with Mixed Greens

It is not surprising that the secret for the best spanakopita is in the filling.  When it comes to taste, there are a few rules that is best not to break for the sake of convenience.  Good ingredients will ensure the best-ever tasting spanakopita with mixed greens:

• Use fresh, never frozen, spinach
• If possible, use the more flavorful mature spinach instead of the baby spinach that comes pre-washed and bagged
• Use a variety of greens, like Swiss chard, rainbow silverbeet, leeks, spring onions, or, any tender wild greens you can find (you can even use dandelion greens, if you are adventurous!)
• Do not pre-cook your spinach and the tender leafy greens
• Use lots of fresh herbs:  dill, parley, fennel fronds are great complements to your greens.  Dried herbs are not suitable substitutes for fresh
• Greek Feta cheese is a must, choose the traditional Greek Feta that comes in brine
• Use good olive oil (lots of it) to brush on the filo layers

6 Tips for handling filo pastry

If the secret to the best tasting spanakopita is the filling, choosing a good quality filo is essential to make your work easier.  For this recipe, I collaborated with my friends at Fillo Factory and used their organic whole wheat filo, but any product in their filo pastry line would work equally well.

Working with filo might feel intimidating, but in reality, this dough is very forgiving.  Here are my tips for working with filo:

• Remember to thaw your filo overnight in the refrigerator
• Take it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes beforehand; room temperature filo will be more pliable and easier to handle than chilled
• Have the filling ready before you even open the filo package
• Keep the filo pastry covered with its plastic wrapper while you work so it does not dry out
• Work quickly to brush the olive oil on each layer, but do not fret about completely covering every inch of the filo with olive oil
• To get clean slices, do not forget to score the top layers of filo before baking, as baked filo is crisp and brittle

How to make the spanakopita – photo tutorial

1. Prep all your greens (can be done ahead of time)
2. Lightly sauté the leeks and onions until they soften 
3. Mix all greens with the Feta (the filling can be prepared a day ahead)
4. Layer half of the filo sheets on a pan
5. Spread the filling evenly over the first filo stack
6. Top with the rest of the filo and score the top layers               
7. Bake the spanakopita until the top becomes golden brown

Making it ahead of time

Most times, I make the filling the day before I assemble and bake the pita.  You could also assemble the pita completely and refrigerate it a day ahead, but you will need to add a little more time to the baking time if you go this route.  If you want to bake it ahead of time, you can keep it at room temperature in a cool place, for a day and then refrigerate it for up to five days. Reheat it uncovered in the oven as it preheats to 350° F.

Spanakopita is one of the most well-know traditional vegetarian Greek dishes.  An authentic recipe is nothing even close to the frozen version we find at the supermarkets.  Yes, it will take some time to make, but if you love Greek and Mediterranean cuisine this is a recipe worth mastering!  If you want to learn more about the traditional filo pies of northwestern Greece, check out this link of an article I wrote about them for the “Mediterranean Lifestyle” magazine recently!

5.0 from 4 reviews

Authentic Greek Spanakopita with Mixed Greens

 

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Prep time

1 hour 30 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

2 hours 30 mins

 

Traditional Greek filo pie with a delicious filling of spinach and mixed greens

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Vegetarian Main Dish

Cuisine: Greek

Serves: serves 10

Ingredients

• 1 med. red onion, finely diced
• 6 --- fresh green onions, finely diced
• 2 med. leeks, cleaned well, trimmed and sliced
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. fresh spinach, cleaned and chopped
• ½ lb. Swiss chard, trimmed and chopped
• 16 oz. Greek Feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
• ½ cup fennel fronds, minced (optional)
• ½-¾ tsp. sea salt
• ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1 lb. Filo pastry sheets, thawed and at room temperature
• (I used organic whole wheat Fillo Factory dough)
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil (for brushing on the filo)

Instructions

1. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat ¼ cup of olive oil then add the onions and the leeks and cook them until tender and soft. Remove them from the heat, place them in a bowl and set aside to cool.
2. Trim the spinach and the chard, removing the hard part of the chard stems. Chop them and place them in a large colander. Sprinkle the greens with 1-2 tsps. of salt, toss them and let them sit for about twenty minutes.
3. Massage the greens with your hands and squeeze them between your palms to drain the water. This is the traditional way of preparing the greens and it is a very important step, as it allows us to reduce the volume of the greens to about one quarter of its original mass by getting rid of their water (this method allows us to wilt the greens without cooking them). Add the greens to the bowl with the cooled onions and leeks. To the same bowl, add the cheese and the aromatics (dill, parsley, fennel fronds), then sprinkle it with some salt and freshly ground pepper. Mix well and set aside. If you want you can drizzle the mixture with a little more olive oil.
4. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Unwrap the filo and arrange it on a clean work surface with the long side nearest to you.
5. Brush some olive oil on all sides and the bottom of a 14”x10”x2” ceramic or glass baking pan and set it aside. On a clean work surface, place the first sheet of filo and brush it with olive oil. Place a second sheet over the first and brush it with olive oil too. Repeat this process with 6 more sheets of filo and until you have created a stack of 8 filo sheets. Lift them carefully and place them in the prepared baking pan. Pour the mixture of greens and feta over the stacked filo and spread it evenly in the pan. On your clean surface, repeat the process of brushing each one of the remaining 8 filo sheets with olive oil, then carefully lift the second stack of filo and place on top of the filling. Fold the edges over the spanakopita, so the filling is completely enclosed. Brush the top sheet with some more olive oil. With a sharp knife, carefully score the top filo sheets into square shapes. This step ensures that the filo does not crumble after it is baked and when it is cut through.
6. Bake the spanakopita for 30-40 minutes, or, until the filo is nice and golden. The cooking time depends on the kind of filo you use and on your oven. Let it cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.

3.5.3240

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