VEGETARIAN PICNIC: LOWER FAT & SALT SPANOKOPITA, healthier indulgence

A lower-fat & salt but fabulously tasty version of an unforgettable Greek favourite...

Cyllinders of low-fat, low-salt crunchy Spanokopita (spinach & feta pie)
'...really moist; loved the mushrooms' '...so tasty; wouldn't believe it was skinny.'  

2/6/16

Visitors to Greece who first experience Spanokopita -- the crisp, crackling spinach, feta and egg pie -- are usually blown away.  Memories linger long.  And despite the fact that food on holiday never tastes as good at home, spanokopita recipes abound in places as defiantly unlike sunny Greece as the UK and eastern North America.   

For the health-conscious, including vegetarians, there are obstacles.  One is the pastry - paper thin filo sheets usually melded together with lashings of melted butter.  Feta, too, which produces the bold, tangy taste, is - whether from sheep's or goat's milk - high in saturated fat and salt. 

67's popular recipe* has all the characteristics and flavour of the original but is surprisingly lower-in-fat and lower-in-salt.  Some people prefer it to the original.  

It includes mushrooms and cottage cheese.  The cottage cheese replaces some of the high-salt feta, and the mushrooms interrupt the one note texture of the filling -- in a good way.  

As with all spanakopitas, there is a bit of work involved but the filling can be made a day ahead of time.   Note that some supermarket filo pastries need defrosting overnight before it can be used. 

The photo shows a spanakopita for a picnic.  2 fat sliceable cylinders were packed into a stiff-sided container with serviettes protecting each layer and sliced on site. 

At home, an 8x11 inch; 20x28cm rectangular version with 3 layers of filo below the filling and 3 above would work well.  Scrunch the overhang onto the edges. 

The recipe also makes several individual trianglular spanakopita if you have the patience for all the slicing and folding involved.  67 has concluded that the pastry-filling ratio is better in a large spanakopita than in smaller ones.

This recipe is not particularly budget friendly (there are more frugal versions on the net) but the taste of fresh spinach really is worth it.  If frugality is your theme, frozen spinach is much cheaper.  

Cost: £7-8, less with frozen spinach
Serves: 6-8 as a main course; 15 or more as a picnic parcel

Ingred:
   113gm/4 oz mushrooms, in 1/2 inch/1 cm dice    
    olive oil (67 used Greek but any Mediterranean will do)
    2 large white or 3 red onions in med dice
    2 med to fat cloves garlic, minced  
    500 gms/8oz spinach (two large bags), washed & drained; remove grotty leaves & stems (make this a family task)  
    2 generous tablespoons chopped parsley
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 tsp dried dill (opt)
    1/8 tsp nutmeg, fresh if you have it
    pepper & salt
    
    150gms/5.3oz feta cheese, crumbled
    100gms/3.5oz cottage cheese
      20 gms grated fresh parmesan (opt)
    2 large eggs, beaten

    1 packet 6 filo pastry sheets for 2 fat cylinders OR 2 packets for 4 cigar shaped cylinders

     1/3 to 1/2 mug olive oil mixed with melted butter

     1/4-1/2 mug fresh breadcrumbs
    
Method:

1. Remember: the phyllo pastry should defrost in the fridge the night before cooking.  
2. (The filling can be made the night before assembling.) Put a large, deep casserole pan over med-high heat
3. Spray generously with olive oil; add mushrooms; cook until all the liquid is gone and the mushrooms are nearly dry; this will take a few minutes.  Remove and set aside.
4. Add a thin layer of olive oil; sautee onions and garlic until onions are tender and browning at the edges - probably 5 mins 
5. Add spinach, parsley & dill if using; the leaves will fill the pan but gradually wilt down & reduce over 5-10 minutes; season with pepper and a little salt.   Place in a colander over a bowl and allow liquid to drip through as it cools (there shouldn't be too much). (Freeze juices for stock.)
6. When spinach is cool, coarsely chop.  (If using frozen spinach, drain &mix with parsley and dill if using).   
7. In a large bowl, mix cheeses, then spinach and mushrooms, then beaten eggs. Blend well.  Refrigerate if making ahead.
8. When ready to cook: allow spinach mix to come to room temperature.
9. Preheat oven to 350F/180c/170fan
10. On a large board, lay out one layer of the phyllo pastry, keeping the rest under a damp cloth; brush every 2nd layer with butter-olive oil mix, sprinkle over a light layer of breadcrumbs. Repeat with two more layers.
11. On the long edge add a generous sausage of either half or a quarter (depending on whether you're making 2 or 4 cylinders) of the spinach mix, leaving an inch clear on both ends; fold the ends over and roll the mixture until it is completely encased in the pastry; place on a cooking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
12. Repeat once for fat cylinders, three more times for cigars.
13. Bake 35-45 mins or until brown and crispy.
14. Cool on the tray.  
15. Using a sharp serrated knife, slice into pieces which fit easily in the hand.  Pack into a stiff sided container.  

*adapted from Martha Rose Shulman's Vegetarian Feast (out of print).    

Comments:

'I've eaten more spanokopita in recent years; this was one of the better ones.  It was nicely moist and the mushrooms were lovely.'  20+ fund-raiser 

'It is terrifically tasty but not greasy. I think I prefer it.'  retired writer

 Tip:

• Replace olive oil-butter with generously sprays of groundnut or other light vegetable oil   
• Uncooked spanokopita freezes well, & heats beautifully.  Bake at 350f/180/c/170fan for 45 mins.
• butter-free Spanakopita Bites are the festive version of this, with either vegan, fish or meat filling    

More Vegetarian dishes on NavBar: Recipes II...

                       

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.