Spanakopita out of the oven

Spanakopita and Joanne Anton Interview

Spanakopita – and my interview with Joanne Anton, Director of Giving for Herb Kohl Philanthropies. In our continuing series, “Cooking with Milwaukee Community Leaders” Joanne and I are making Spanakopita, the classic Greek savory pie. Joanne is listed in the 2023 Milwaukee Business Journal’s top 100 Powerbrokers in Milwaukee.

Charlie DeSando and Joanne Anton
Charlie DeSando and Joanne Anton

What is Spanakopita?

Spanakopita is a traditional Greek savory vegetarian pie made primarily with spinach, feta cheese, and pastry dough. It can often be found in a pie form, but these triangles are a delicious hand-held appetizer. It is a common Greek appetizer or side dish. Some recipes are made into one large pie and cut into squares while others are made into individual servings where they are rolled or folded into triangles.

This is a bit of a labor of love, compared with buying frozen from the store. They are so much fresher and bursting with flavor! It’s worth the effort, to make them from scratch!

Tips for Making Spanakopita

  1. Always keep any phyllo pastry covered with a damp cloth or paper towel.  Don’t get the cloth or paper towel too wet, just barely damp otherwise it will stick to the pastry.
  2. Don’t overfill the phyllo dough.
  3. Sprinkle some salt before baking for some texture and added flavor!
  4. A non-traditional ingredient in this recipe is the Ricotta Cheese! Adding ricotta cheese adds a much-needed creaminess that some spinach pies lack.
  5. Use frozen store-bought phyllo sheets. No need to make your phyllo dough from scratch because store-bought phyllo is really good

Why is my spanakopita soggy?

The main reason for soggy spanakopita is spinach or ricotta cheese. Spinach must be well wilted. Look for little to no remaining moisture in the skillet. If you do this ahead of time, put it in the fridge, and leave it uncovered so it dries out even more.

Cooking With Milwaukee Community Leaders

I do a short interview with my guest, talk about their work in the community, and then cook something at our condo building. They pick whatever we are going to cook and I act as their sous chef.

You can view the previous Cooking/Interview at the links listed below.

Wendy Baumann (President of WWBIC) Interview – Tuna Bien Masabe Jose Andres Recipe –https://youtu.be/wGn3YclrPdsThe recipe article is at https://cookingsecretsformen.com/2022/11/20/tunabienmasabe

Charlie DeSando and Wendy Baumann
Charlie DeSando and Wendy Baumann

Sadhna Lindvall (President of the Shorewood Foundation) Interview – Pastelillos (Dominican empanadashttps://youtu.be/PNxm3O8l4pEThe recipe article is at https://cookingsecretsformen.com/2022/11/28/dominican-empanadas-pastelillos/

Charlie and Sadhna
Charlie and Sadhna

Wendell Willis (Former MPS Foundation Exec Director) Interview – Steak Fajitas – Easy Margarita Recipe  https://youtu.be/0G12gTts1GoThe recipe article is https://cookingsecretsformen.com/2022/12/06/steak-fajitas-wendell-willis-interview/

Enjoying the margaritas
Enjoying the margaritas

Ricardo Diaz (Former Exec Director of UCC) Interview – Cuban Tostones and Plantains Recipe – https://youtu.be/49u0OR7fa8sThe Recipe article is https://cookingsecretsformen.com/2022/12/21/sweet-plantains-vs-tostones-ricardo-diaz-interview/

Charlie DeSando and Ricardo Diaz
Charlie DeSando and Ricardo Diaz

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson – Copycat McDonald’s Breakfast Sandwiches – YouTube Video is at https://youtu.be/eWkN4nI5ueE The Recipe article is https://cookingsecretsformen.com/2023/01/16/copycat-mcdonalds-breakfast-sandwiches

Charlie DeSando and Mayor Johnson
Charlie DeSando and Mayor Johnson

Spanakopita out of the oven

Spanakopita

Spanakopita is actually easy to make. The star ingredient is spinach, and other leafy green vegetables, such as Turnip Greens and Swiss Chard.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 43 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Appetizers
Cuisine: Greek
Keyword: Spanakopita
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 120kcal

Equipment

  • No special equipment needed

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh spinach trimmed and chopped
  • 2 cups each of fresh alternate greens chopped – JoAnne prefers turnip greens and swiss chard.
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • Extra virgin olive oil — use this both to cook the spinach/greens/onion mixture and brush the dough.
  • 2-3 eggs
  • 1 lb imported Greek Feta cheese crumbled
  • 1-2 cups of alternate cheese Note: JoAnne prefers a mixture of Ricotta, Cottage Cheese, and Feta
  • 1 bunch of fresh dill chopped
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 package 16 oz Phyllo Dough (properly thawed and stored) Note: #4 thickness is recommended

Instructions

  • Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees
  • Wash and chop greens, remove excess water/pat dry
    Greens for Spanakopita
  • Heat olive oil, and add chopped onion. and cook over medium heat.
    Onions Sauté
  • Once the onion is soft, add spinach and greens in bunches. Cook until soft.
    Spanakopita Spinach added
  • Remove excess liquid and allow to cool.
  • Take cooled greens mixture and add to dairy mixture. Combine well.
  • Add fresh dill, salt, and pepper to taste.
    Fresh Dill added
  • To assemble the spanakopita, you need a basting brush and a small bowl of olive oil.
  • Remove sheets of phyllo dough two at a time, keeping them doubled up/together
    Phyllo Dough
  • Drizzle and brush olive oil all over the dough sheets.
    Olive Oil on the Phyllo Dough
  • You want your spanakopita to be two sheets thick to ensure it can hold the mixture inside.
  • Cut the dough into 3 long strips.
  • Place a spoonful of dough at bottom of each strip, then fold tightly in alternating triangle flips.
    Filling in the Dough
  • Continue to baste with olive oil to keep the dough moist and to ensure the seams on the triangles are closed.
  • You must move quickly to keep the dough from drying out.
  • Place the wrapped triangle on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
    Folding the dough
  • Repeat until mixture and dough are gone
  • Bake for approximately 20 minutes
    Ready for the oven

Video

Notes

Note: Freeze unbaked spanakopita in well-sealed Tupperware or plastic Ziploc bags. Layer with parchment paper. Remove and bake as needed. No need to thaw. Bake frozen.
To properly thaw, place frozen phyllo dough in the refrigerator overnight. When the time to use, unpackage and unroll the dough sheets then place them between two lightly damp kitchen clothes. This is to keep your dough from drying out and cracking. You do not want the dough to be wet. Just slight moisture to keep its flexible state.

Nutrition

Serving: 44g | Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 243mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 90IU | Vitamin C: 1.8mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Cooking Secrets for Men 

Please “like” our YouTube Videos and follow us on our YouTube Channel. Cooking Secrets For Men is also on other Social Media sites FacebookPinterestInstagram, and Twitter.

“Cooking Secrets for Men” is listed as one of the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Websites on the Internet.  You can read that article here. See where we rank for Men’s Cooking Websites.

If you like this recipe for Spanakopita you should try our recipe for the Best Guacamole

Unpaid by the following companies

Aloha Honey – https://alohahoney.farm/collections/all-products

Grillaholics – https://www.grillaholics.com/?ref=CSFM20 (Use Discount Code CSFM20 for all products)

Javy Coffee – https://javycoffee.com/collections/javy

ChefsTemp Thermometers – https://www.chefstemp.com/product/finaltouchx10-meat-thermometer/?tw=cookingsecretsformenThe Discount code is in the link.

E-Cookbooks for free Download

(It’s Free) – E-Cookbook Vol 5 – Poultry and Chicken ready to download

(Free) – E-Cookbook Vol 4 – “Pasta” (written in English and Italian) is now available to download.

(Yes, Free) –  E-Cookbook Vol 3 – “Appetizers” now available for free download at this link

(Free) – E-Cookbook Series Vol. 2 – “Soups & Stews” is available for free download

(Free) – E-Cookbook Vol 1 – “Sauces you’ll use – A lot”, is available for free download

All of our e-cookbooks are available on our download page.

You can submit your special recipe to us. We would love to recreate it and give you credit. And make a YouTube Video. Just go to this link “Recipe & YouTube Suggestions”. It is at the top of our home page. Click this link for an example of a Recipe Submission from a Subscriber.

We are always looking to collaborate with other bloggers.   If interested in a conversation about some sort of collaboration, please contact me. And, send me one of your aprons. I’ll wear it and promote your channel and merchandise.

If you have comments or questions, please contact us at cookingsecretsformen@gmail.com

5 thoughts on “Spanakopita and Joanne Anton Interview”

Leave a Reply