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tizadu OP t1_j1zeykz wrote

Reply to comment by bhuddistchipmonk in [homemade] greek spinach pie by tizadu

As pies evolved from using up leftovers, there is huge leeway in terms of filling ratios/ quantity, but generally size of baking pan and how thick you want the pie will determine quantity. Below is a rough guide as I like my pies thin so they cook faster, but you could easily double the filling to feed more

1 x baking dish - as wide and low rimmed as possible several bowls bottle of olive oil, pastry brush, saucer tub of salt 1-2 tbsp of rice (I use short grained, but use whatever you have) eggs

1 x shop bought pack of fyllo pastry - do not open until you start assembly. The amount of pastry in the pack will determine how much filling you can use - the first time you make it, you may end up having to leave some filling out.

pack of feta or similar white cheese (can omit) if you omit the feta, you can add some pine nuts, again optional small tub of sour cream if you can find it

large bunch of spinach bunch of fresh dill bunch fresh parsley bunch spring onions ——————————

If you happen to be in the southern mediterranean or middle east, you may be able to buy the greens for such pies direct from a market stall with all the aromatic components already included in the mix. You will often be buying greens from the dandelion family in that mix as the original version of this pie is known as greens pie - hortopitta

Make sure you try to source the freshest ingredients you can, and I go out of my way to source the ‘coarser’ variety spinach ie. not the supermarket one that has been designed for salads. You can try to use that if you have nothing else (I have not used it for this pie), but I would imagine you would need huge quantities of it as it cooks down to almost nothing. Chard may be another option which I have not yet tried.

Step 1/ so the first step is to prep your greens, and is the longest part. Start by cleaning off the greens ie cutting off any soggy ends, tops of spring onions, and removing any thick spinach stalks. Wash well, and shake dry then set in a bowl for remaining water to drain (or roll up in a kitchen towel for the same result). Don’t skip this as excess liquid in the pie will ruin it. You can also do this step the day before and just store the greens rolled up in the towel in the fridge.

Chop all the greens, place in a dry bowl and sprinkle with salt. Dont oversalt (taste it - it should taste salty, but bearable), but don’t undersalt. Mix very well and leave about 20 mins.

The purpose of this is mainly to remove excess liquid from the greens so that it is not released while cooking resulting in a watery ruined pie. An alternative method involves chopping then lightly and briefly frying off the greens instead of salting, and draining off any excess liquid, and allowing to cool. The aim if for them to wilt but not turn soggy. Try both methods (not with the same pie) to see what you prefer - they definitely give a different flavour and texture. I choose the salted method because I quite like my greens to taste ‘fresh’ and have a bit of texture, and I also think the cooking method is harder to control.

So back to the salted mixture; after 20 mins squeeze out the mixture by hand then transfer to a different bowl. Dont squeeze it so dry that there is zero liquid left, but you do want to have removed a significant amount (you will be adding moisture back in thru different means)

At this point preheat your oven. I use 180C, (you can go up to 200 if your pie dish is thin and very shallow, but I dont recommend it until you get some experience behind you). Set it without fan if possible.

Step 2/ Prep the filling. To the greens add 1 egg yolk (2 if you are doubling the quantity of greens). I use yolks rather than whole eggs to avoid the danger of the filling ending up like an omelette. I also add a glug of olive oil, grated or cumbled feta, 1-2 large tablespoons of sour cream (can used condensed milk instead but NOT sweetened). Start by adding 1 tablespoon and stir it in. If the mixture is dense and creamy, there is no need to add more. Add a tablespoon of rice.

The egg is the binder, the oil and sour cream provide the moisture for the greens to cook in, the rice mops up any excess liquid. Sour cream/ condensed milk are not strictly necessary; you can provide sufficient moisture by upping the egg and oil a little bit - make sure you do tho because otherwise you will have a plain steamed green taste, which is not the way these pies should taste.

Step 3/ Assembly. Pour oil onto a saucer or small bowl and use the pastry brush to generously coat the baking tin. The oiling of the pastry is one of the hard & fast rules of fyllo pies - if you dont provide enough moisture for the sheets you will end up with hard indigestible pastry. Ideally get 2 very lightly dampened cotton kitchen towels and lay out your pastry sheets on the one, covered by the second towel. This prevents them drying out and will make your work much easier. Lay your sheets in the tin, one at a time, applying a liberal coating of oil on each sheet. Better to over than to under oil. Your sheets will at this stage overlap the pan. Lay them at alternate angles, as a criss cross. Depending on the thickness of the sheets, lay about half for the base - this is usually between 4-6. Just before adding the filling, sprinkle about half to one tablespoon of rice on the base, depending on how liquid you think the filling is.

Spoon in the filling, including in all the corners, do not pack down. Cover with 2, possibly 3 layers of oiled sheets, tear them in half if you need to. Then work around the edges of the dish folding and tucking the excess pastry hanging over the sides - this will form the ‘handle’ that will give each slice its structure. You fold it diagonally so that it is flush against the sides, fold and turn, until the whole tray is tidied up. Add a couple more scrumpled up sheets on the top. Oil well, including the edge. With a knife pierce the top layers and then take the dish to the tap, and use one hand to flick water over the entire surface (this will precent excess burning so be liberal)

Place it in the oven and set your timer for 20 minutes. In a large oven, you can start the pie off the bottom shelf for the first 10-15 minutes, at 190/200, and then move the pie to the middle shelf and lower to 180ish. I would particularly be looking at doing this also if I have doubled the filling or am using a thick pie dish. If you are worried about burning, use a layer of baking paper in your tin. These days I use a countertop mini oven no fan, so mine goes in the middle shelf at 180.

Check on the pie every 10 minutes or so until you get more experience, basically to make sure your oven is not too high - the top should not brown too fast, else you risk it burning by the time it’s ready (if that does happen, just remove the top layer of pastry). At the 20 minute mark, the top will be developing some colour and you may need to rotate the pie to get an even cook. Between 20-30 minutes it will start to give off a cooked smell. At around 30 minutes, it will start shrinking from the sides. This, plus the proper ‘cooked’ smell, are your main 2 indicators that the pie is ready - normally at the 30-40 minute mark. Make sure you keep a constant eye on it for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove from oven and keep on tray. Mark out the slices with a knife within about 10 minutes while the pastry is still easy to cut.

I will come back to add a youtube link so you can follow the visuals

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