The first to grow spinach in their fields were the Chinese, who believed that this plant was able to prolong youth. Who knows, maybe there is still some truth in this opinion. After all, this extraordinary greenery is extremely useful: spinach is rich in many trace elements and vitamins. Eating only 100 g of this plant during the day, you can maintain a healthy state of your body.
But the recipe for the spinach pie belongs, surprisingly, not to Asians, but to Greeks. By the way, at home this dish is called "spanakopita." A classic spinach pie is an excellent choice for a wholesome, hearty breakfast or lunch.
Essential Products
To prepare a nutritious, vitamin-rich baking, you will need:
- 2 glasses of water;
- a tablespoon of dry yeast;
- 700 g of wheat flour;
- a third of a glass of vegetable oil;
- a tablespoon of sugar;
- large onion;
- 400 g spinach;
- half a teaspoon of salt.
Of course, when choosing products for this dish, special attention should be paid to the main ingredient - spinach itself. If you buy fresh herbs, keep in mind that the leaves should be fairly even, without spots, holes and yellowness. If the plant is twisted, it means that it is stored for too long.
Armed with a suitable beam, be sure to sort it out by throwing out the damaged leaves and rinsing it thoroughly. After all the necessary manipulations, be sure to dry the spinach, and only after that can you add it to the baking dish.
If you bought frozen greens, be sure to let it thaw before use. Thaw spinach preferably at room temperature or in the refrigerator. But the use of hot water should be abandoned - so you, of course, speed up the process, but at the same time deprive the leaflets of many useful substances.
Traditional recipe
The process of making a pie with spinach should begin by mixing the basis of baking - dough. Pour yeast, sugar into a suitable volume dish and pour half a glass of warm water. Stir the ingredients well and keep warm for 15-20 minutes.
After the set time, pour the remaining water, vegetable oil into a dough and add a pinch of salt. Thoroughly mix again to achieve a homogeneous mass. Now it remains to add only sifted flour. The dough for a delicious spinach pie should be thoroughly kneaded with hands and put in a warm place for at least an hour. In the meantime, the mass will be suitable, you can do the preparation of the filling for future baking.
Peel the onion and rinse under running water. Cut it into small cubes and fry in vegetable oil. After the onion becomes golden, add chopped spinach to it and cook the mixture until all the moisture has evaporated and the greens have not reduced in volume. Remember that frying should be stirred from time to time. At the end, salt and pepper the mixture to your liking, stir again and remove from the stove.
After an hour, divide the dough in half and roll one part first. The dimensions of the layers depend on the size of your baking dish. Keep in mind that the cake should not be too thin. Cover the mold with special parchment and lay out the rolled sheet on paper. Gently spread the filling and cover it with the second half of the dough. Qualitatively pinch the edges with your fingers and send the pan to the oven for 40 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees.
After the allotted time, take out the flavored cake and serve. Such a dish will surely appeal to all your households, even the smallest.
Delicious spinach and cheese pie
This combination of products turns out to be surprisingly gentle, fragrant and truly spicy. Such a dish will surely please everyone, even the most moody gourmets. And cooking an unusual pie with spinach and cheese is very easy.
Structure
So you will need:
- 400 g spinach;
- 2 eggs;
- 50 g of feta cheese or feta cheese;
- half a glass of milk;
- a spoonful of vegetable oil;
- salt and pepper to taste;
- 100 g of butter and hard cheese;
- 2 tablespoons of sour cream;
- 150 g of wheat flour.
Cooking
Heat the pan well and melt a piece of butter on it. Spread the prepared and chopped spinach and cook it until the leaves are soft. Then remove from heat and let cool slightly.
To prepare a dressing for a delicious spinach fillet pie, beat the eggs in a deep bowl and add milk to them. Whip all this until you get foam. Then send the grated cheeses here: hard varieties and feta, mix thoroughly. At the end, pour the fried spinach leaves here, salt and pepper the mixture. Finally, mix the mass again and set aside.
Sift the flour carefully, preferably several times in a separate bowl. Add to it the grated butter and sour cream. Grind all the ingredients well and knead the dough by hand. Then roll out the cooked mass and carefully place the layer in a baking dish. Do not forget to prepare it: grease with butter or vegetable oil or just cover it with parchment. Since you are preparing an open pie with spinach, you should definitely form some sort of sides from the dough. It remains just to pour the prepared filling into the form and send the form to the oven. Bake the cake for 40 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees.
On this, the preparation of nutritious pastries with cheese and spinach can be considered finished. As a result, you will get a very tasty pie with a golden cheese crust. Serving this dish is best served hot, and you can add it with sour cream and sprigs of herbs.
Quick Puff Pastry Pie
This recipe will certainly come in handy for those who love fresh, healthy dishes with lots of greens. If you want to cook pastries as quickly as possible, use the purchased puff pastry. Before use, it should only be thawed. But if you want to cook all the components yourself, then the classic recipe will help you in making the dough. But for the filling you will need:
- 300 g spinach;
- 3 eggs;
- a bunch of green onions;
- as much dill;
- 250 g of hard cheese;
- a third of a teaspoon of salt.
If you buy dough in a store, then note that you will need 0.5 kg. You also need a handful of flour for rolling. By the way, if you wish, you can cook your pie with spinach and egg based on yeast dough, making only the filling according to the recipe.
The basis of this dish is spinach fresh in taste, which should be plenty. But dill and green onions are necessary to give a rich note and aroma. You can also add parsley and other spices to your pastries, but their quantity should be small. Otherwise, you risk making your cake too sugary.
Cooking method
Thoroughly rinse all the greens, cut the stems and finely chop it. Grind cheese with a fine grater. In one bowl, mix all the greens and salt it. Beat in eggs and pour grated cheese. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly, the easiest way is to do it by hand.
Roll out the dough to the size of your baking sheet. In this case, try not to crumple the mass, so as not to damage the layers. Cover the baking sheet with foil or parchment and shift the rolled sheet onto it. There is no need to grease the paper - the puff pastry is rather oily, so it does not stick to the surface during baking.
Then evenly distribute the prepared filling over the entire layer, leaving a centimeter on each side. Place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes at 220 degrees. You will be able to determine the readiness of the cake visually: the baking sides will become rosy and crispy.
After the specified time, you will take out a fragrant pie with puff pastry spinach from the oven. Such pastries will be appreciated by every member of your family. Taking the dish out of the oven, wrap it in foil. This is necessary so that the cake is steamed and soft. Leave it in this state for half an hour, then cut it in portions and serve.