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Spiral Spanakopita or Hortakopita


These are traditional savory pies from Greece made with a crispy phyllo dough. Spanakopita is made with spinach as the only green in the filling; hortakopita is

the more general term and may have many different greens depending what is available seasonally. My city has a high population of Greek immigrants and the woman who taught me this recipe said during the war they would make hortakopita with whatever weeds they could find at the time including amaranth or dandelion leaves.





Serves 6


Ingredients

1 package Phyllo dough (frozen - typically near frozen desserts)

(12 sheets - x in x x in)


2 Tb olive oil

8 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large onion (240g), chopped

1 large leek (230g), halved and sliced

8 oz. (225g) Spinach (or chard, collards, kale, sorrel, etc), chopped


4 oz. feta cheese, preferably in brine


*if you cannot find leeks use green onions or increase the amount of chopped onions


1. Thaw the phyllo dough if you are assembling today.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan.

3. Add the garlic, onions, and leeks to the pan and sauté until caramelized.


4. Add chopped greens and sauté until no liquid remains in the mixture. (Mine may look a little different - I'm using 4 oz. of chopped collard greens (left over from making dolmas) and 4 oz. of spinach.)


5. Cool mixture completely (you can even finish another day). Crumble a 4 oz. block of the feta cheese into the mixture (leave out for vegan version). Set up your spiraling station:


6. Lay two sheets of phyllo dough down and scoop a thin line of filling along one side of the sheets. Gently fold over and then continue to roll into a log.


7. Take your tube by one end and gently fold and roll it into a spiral.



For individual wheels:

8. Your spirals are done. Place in a large muffin tin or secure with a toothpick to keep the spiral shape. These freeze really well and make a great quick snack for after school or as an appetizer.


For party wheels:

8. Start with a single spiral. Pin the beginning of the new roll to the end of the first spiral. Wrap around to create a larger spiral. Continue wrapping until you have a spiral of your desired size. I usually estimate 1-2 rolls per person.


To Bake:

Lay on lined pan. Spray top of spiral with PAM or brush with olive oil. Bake at 350F until top is browned.


Nutrition Facts (approx.): 1 roll

Calories: 170

Total Fat: 5 g

Saturated Fat: 0.7 g

Sodium: 115 mg

Total Carbohydrate: 25 g

Added Sugar: 0 g

Dietary Fiber: 3.2 g

Total Protein: 4.3 g


with feta cheese:

Calories: 221

Total Fat: 9.1 g

Saturated Fat: 3.2 g

Sodium: 330 mg

Total Carbohydrate: 29 g

Added Sugar: 0 g

Dietary Fiber: 3.2 g

Total Protein: 7.0 g


Special Diet Alterations

Low carb/keto: This is not a particularly keto-friendly recipe. I have made this recipe using one sheet per roll which reduced the net carb contribution from phyllo per roll from 16.8g to 8.4g. That helps, but I would recommend looking for keto phyllo dough alternatives or use the filling to make a spinach pie with a keto crust.

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