Cook the spinach first and drain it well.
Mix the spinach with the remaining ingredients. For best results, mix in
a blender or food processor for quick, smooth consistency.
Oil a baking pan with olive oil. Cut filo dough (see below for
information and for homemade dough recipe) into 16" by 10" rectangles and brush with olive oil. Put a layer about
two inches deep of the Spinach mixture into the centre of the filo dough and fold the dough over the spinach mix to make
a rectangular pie about 6" long by 3" wide by 2" high. You will need to use 2-3 sheets of dough to avoid tearing.
Brush the top and sides of the filo dough with olive oil, place on baking pan and bake in a moderate oven at 350 F/180 C
for about 30-40 minutes until dough is golden brown and crisp.
This recipe will make anywhere from 4 - 8 pies depending on how much mixture
you use in each pie.
* You may substitute 2 tbsp/30 ml Cornstarch, Arrowroot Powder or Potato
Starch plus 2 tbsp/30 ml water or 1 tbsp/15 ml Soy milk plus 1 tbsp/15 ml Cornstarch plus 2 tbsp/30 ml water for each egg.
Filo Dough (Phyllo)
You can buy the filo dough in the frozen section of your grocery store or you
can make it at home. If you are using the frozen filo remove it from the freezer and let it defrost in the bag at room
temperature for several hours.
Remember to keep the filo covered to prevent it from drying out during use.
Filo Dough from scratch:
-
5 cups/1250 ml of plain white flour
-
5 tbsp/75 ml of olive oil
-
2-1/2/625 ml cups of water
-
pinch of salt
-
2 tbsp/30 ml of vinegar
Separate some flour for flouring the pastry board on which the pastry will be
rolled out.
Combine the rest of the flour with the olive oil and add the salt along with the
vinegar and water. Knead well and form dough into a ball. Allow the dough to stand for about 1 hour in a cool place. On
a very well floured surface roll out the dough into a flat sheet as thin as desired. Traditionally it is rolled thin
enough to see through, but you don't have to work that hard!
The best results are from a thin dough that has been well oiled on both sides.
