Comments on: Spanakopita: Two Ways

By: Margaritte

Margaritte — Sat, 28 May 2011 20:07:21 +0000

My grandmother, who learned to make this ~80 years ago from her Lebanese mother-in-law (who never spoke English and even made her own phyllo) always used cinnamon and nutmeg. In my opinion, it doesn't taste quite right without it, although w/o knowing that is what the spices are you would probably never guess they were in there. This type of spinach pie is not exclusively Greek, so it is possible that whether these spices are traditional depend on what region one's ancestors are from—"traditional" depends on whose tradition ;)

By: The elusive stuffed pepper conquered

The elusive stuffed pepper conquered — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:16:47 +0000

[...] Macheesmo’s Spanikopita [...]

By: The elusive stuffed pepper conquered « Queen of Quirky

The elusive stuffed pepper conquered « Queen of Quirky — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:03:11 +0000

[...] Macheesmo’s Spanikopita [...]

By: Copenhagen Joe

Copenhagen Joe — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:56:29 +0000

Going along with the other commenters, I just wanted to say that you did a great job here, but I can tell by the photos you took that my spanakopita tastes a hell of a lot better. It's also healthier and more virtuous all around. Nice try though!

By: Joanne

Joanne — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:08:57 +0000

Glad you got rid of the bechamel sauce. My Greek mother went on and on about that for days….

My mother uses a lot of parsley with her spinach (instead of leeks). Has quite the opposite effect: a little tarter and pithier.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:12:22 +0000

Way to get up off of the mat and kick your opponent square in the……well, you know.

By: Daktari

Daktari — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:43:26 +0000

Glad you didn't give up Nick. Spanikopita rocks! My recipe is of a similar size but I make it in a 13×9 pan because I can't seem to fit in a 9×9 pan. I'm with Peter re the cinnamon and nutmeg addition though. This is certainly a non-traditional spanikopita, but I'm all for experimentation and satisfying your own palate! That said, your original recipe with bechamel just made me cringe.

Two things I think you should consider. Because the baking time is so long (and there is quite a bit of liquid in this recipe that has to heat up), it really isn't necessary to pre-cook the onions/leeks or other veggie additions. They will soften up just fine without that extra step (and I'm not one who likes to create additional pans to wash). Finally, while I butter the bottom of the pan, I do not butter/oil the phyllo sheets on the bottom or in the middle of the filling. Only those on top. There doesn't seem to be any change in taste or consistency and I save myself a little bit of fat calories by omitting it.

By: Nick

Nick — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:28:57 +0000

There were actually a few recipes that called for a tiny pinch of those spices. I loved the flavors it gave the filling! Definitely not traditional though.

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:38:56 +0000

Nick, a far better end result, hope you're happy with it. My only eye-brow raising question is why cinnamon and nutmeg? With dill? All three ingredients are prominent in Greek cuisine but never have I heard of all three together in Spanakopita.