Spinach pie

The pies have an important place in the Greek traditional cuisine and we find them in every place and variation: spinach pie, cheese pie, milk pies, pumpkin pies, meat pies, macaroni pie, “Epirotiki” (recipe from Epirus), “Skopelitiki” (recipe from Skopelos Island), Macedonian, “Kefalonitiki” (recipe from Kefalonia Island) and the list has no finish!

Ingredient

For the sheet:

• 1 kg of flour
• ½ cup of olive oil
• 5 tbsp of vinegar
• lukewarm water as long as it gets (1 cup approximately)
• 1 tbsp of salt

For stuffing:

• 1 kg of spinach
• 2 large onions
• 1 bunch of spring onions
• 2 leeks
• 1 handful of finely chopped dill
• 2 tbsp flour
• 3 eggs
• ½ kilo of feta cheese

Execution

1. For the dough sheets: A good dough is always made by hand.
2. Place the flour on your cooking surface like so that it look like a knoll. Make a hole in center of it, add in salt, oil and water.
3. Knead well for 5 minutes. If it stays in our hand we add a little more flour.
4. Cover the dough to prevent it from drying out and leave it for as long as necessary to make the filling (about 1 hour).
5. This will allow the dough sheets to be made better and not to gather when we try to open it.
6. Divide the dough into two, create both sheets to the size of the pan.
7. For the filling: Spinach needs very good washing because it gathers soil in its leaves. It needs at least 3 water changes in the basin (washing with running water is not enough).
8. Drain and then cut in smaller pieces using hands. Add salt and let dry (salt helps to remove all its liquids so that it does not take them out to the pie).
9. Chop onions, leek and dill. Place a large pot on heat and add olive oil, add the onions and leeks. Do not sauté, just let it warm up, then pour the spinach in portions and mix until its volume falls off.
10. Pour the flour in the pot to pick up the liquids collected at the bottom of the pot and stir for another 2 minutes. We turn off the fire and pour the feta (smash it in your hands), eggs, dill and salted pepper.
11. After placing the bottom sheet on the baking tray, add the filling so that it cover thw whole surfase, then add the top sheet.
12. We make holes on the top sheet using a knife for the vapors to come out, add some olive oil  and bake at 170 degrees in a preheated oven for about an hour.
13. The pies are generally ready when it’s easy to take out from baking tray.