**Sigh** Gotta' come clean! Got a monkey on my back.

Hello, my name is FCD, and I'm an addict.

My wife makes this Greek spinach pie. It's called Spanikopita.

Spanikopita is a layered cheese and spinach pie, layered with thin sheets of buttered filo dough. It has onions, feta, a couple other cheeses and a little garlic in it. OMG!!

I..I...I just can't stop eating it! I just can't help myself! It...it...it just controls me!! **sobbing**

She makes a big 9x14 pan of this stuff, and it's like crack or something! I wake up in the middle of the night just thinking about it. It calls me; I can hear it! It really calls out to me. I eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I would probably push elderly women down to get the last piece! I can't help it! I mean, so what if they break a hip, at least I got the last piece of that nirvana...that...that...SPANIKOPITA!!

I'm thinking about changing my two dog's names to "Spani" and "Kopita". I'm gonna' paint my house green. I love it...I LOVE it!!

Somebody please, help me!!

Sincerely,

Spanikopoholics Anonymous

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
I'm thinking about changing my two dog's names to "Spani" and "Kopita".

If you do that they'll probably do more than just pee in the house.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

They can't have any!

It's all mine! MINE!! MINE, I say!

(actually, they absolutely want to eat some of this stuff, but because of the onions, they can't have any)

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I know what you're going through, FCD!

We have something similar in Italy. We use ricotta cheese and Parmesan instead of Feta, with the addition of sultanas (raisins) and pine nuts.

Strudel con ricotta e spinaci


Always a winner!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Spanik that monkey, FCD.

a reply to: Encia22

Oh, you'd have to DRAG me off of that!

That looks equally fabulous!

Very similar to Spanikopita, except for the raisins.

ETA - I've actually seen a couple Spanikopita recipes which use chopped up water chestnuts in it. Probably very similar in texture to the pine nuts in the Strudel con ricotta e spinaci.

You had me at "cheese" ...

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

The beauty of these recipes is that they can eaten hot or cold, equally delicious!

I can get you 100 miles offshore so you can safely detox with no temptations.
It’s done all the time in these parts....😳😁




a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Spanikopita is delicious! I think it's the feta that makes it irresistible.

For me, though, well I have a bit of PTSD when it comes to phyllo dough.

You see, many years ago, when I was young and confident, I decided to assemble an "honest to Athens" Greek "galaktoboureko", which is layers of that tissue-thin spawn-of-Hell-to-work-with-but-so-crispy-good dough, wrapped around a sweet semolina custard, all drizzled in honey syrup.

My co-workers left our potluck delighted and enlightened; I merely survived, a psychically scarred wreck, as fragile from the experience as a baked sheet of that diabolical dough!

To this day, baklava taunts me...

I resist, savoring a link of grilled loukaniko, a piece of fresh Greek feta, and a well chilled glass of retsina,

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Hey psssssst! Come 'ere...

I got some quality Spanikopita here for sale, take my number.

I’m so hungry now!

I spent a bit of time in Tarpon Springs Fla.
That little Sea-side village with all it’s Spongee Boat’s lining the dock serves some of the best Greek food this side of the pond.
The bakery where the two old ladies whipped up pure magic behind that window was torture to walk past.
The honey glaze on their pastries was to die for.
One of my favorite things to do was cross the river to the fish house for 2-3 pounds of fresh shrimp then get a few BOXES of pastries from that bakery and have a big shrimp boil at the beach.

I. Love. Greek. Food.



a reply to: Mantiss2021

I like spinach and cheese things, the wife doesn't. So we never eat them unless I make my own.

a reply to: PiratesCut

Oh, lemme' tell ya, you would hurt yourself with this stuff!!

a reply to: Mantiss2021

The trick to working with filo dough is to work it when it's still partially frozen. It needs to be thawed only enough to unfold the bunch of sheets, but still frozen. This way the individual sheets don't fall apart.

If it gets completely thawed, it's a disaster to work with because it's so thin.

Sadly, I didn’t marry a woman who could cook.

It’s a small price to pay though considering she really is “a total package” aside from that.

Reading as you described the Spanikopita, my saliva glands sent a waterfall down my throat.
Good thing we are far apart because you and I would be rolling around in a full-tilt rumble to get the last piece!

Get between me and my food at your peril.....😎




a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

In Malta they make little pasties with filo pastry and ricotta that looks different but I imagine is similar in taste but without the pesto, they are pretty addictive.

They also do one with mushy peas that sounds odd but as an Englishman I find sublime.

originally posted by: Encia22
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I know what you're going through, FCD!

We have something similar in Italy. We use ricotta cheese and Parmesan instead of Feta, with the addition of sultanas (raisins) and pine nuts.

Strudel con ricotta e spinaci

Always a winner!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

When I was kid growing up in LA there was this tort that the grocery store Gelson’s made that would drive me nuts. I ended up recreating it maybe 15 years ago so I could sit in the dark in the turned toward the corner pants off and devour huge servings with no judgement from god. I was close to eating it under sheet to really hide my glutinous ways.

It was a puff pastry layered with (can’t remember exactly) tons of spinach, mozz, maybe pepperoni, peperoncino, maybe roasted red peppers? I actually called the market from DC and said a friend had an allergy and if they could tell me what was in it…..

I will have to find the recipe and a pair of larger pants. Bye bye beautiful stomach hello cheesy spinach goodness

a reply to: TheAlleghenyGentleman

So it's the ortolan of pastries?

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I would have stabbed my mother for a piece