Greece
Ingredients
2 lbs spinach
1/3 cup olive oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
1 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
1 lb phyllo dough sheets
3 Tbsp dry or fresh mint
¾ cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
½ cinnamon stick
3 strips of lemon or orange peel
½ cup honey
16 oz. walnuts, chopped
3 TBSP. sugar
3 TBSP. plain breadcrumbs
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground cloves
1 lb. phyllo dough
1½ cups butter, melted
I was not present to make the recipes, but I was able to try them from my group and they turned out very delicious, though the pastry was slightly undercooked and it was very greasy.
Baklava
Combine the sugar, water, cinnamon stick and lemon or orange peel in a small pan and and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the honey and simmer until the syrup thickens slightly. Remove from heat and set aside to let cool.
Place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse them a few times until they are chopped to a medium-fine consistency - DO NOT overprocess! Put the chopped walnuts in a bowl and combine them with sugar, breadcrumbs, cinnamon and cloves.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Place the phyllo on a large cutting board and, using the bottom of an 8” cake pan as a guide, cut the sheets of phyllo into 8” circles. Brush the sides of the pan with melted butter. Layer 8 round phyllo sheets in the pan, each brushed with melted butter. Sprinkle ⅓ cup of the nut mixture evenly over the 8th sheet. Layer the next 2 buttered phyllo rounds and sprinkle another ⅓ cup of nuts. Repeat with two more layers of buttered phyllo and the last ⅓ cup of nuts. Continue layering the rest sheets of phyllo until they are all used.
Using a serrated knife with a pointed tip, cut the baklava into small squares, or diamond-shaped pieces, or in a star pattern.
Bake, uncovered, for about 45-50 minutes or until the top layers of filo are light golden and crisp.
Remove from the oven and pour the cooled honey syrup slowly and evenly over the top of the baklava and especially over the cut lines.
Spanakopita
Preheat the oven to 350 F
Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a big saucepan over medium to high heat, and saute’ onions and leeks.
Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl to cool slightly.
Add spinach, dill, mint, and feta to the bowl, and combine well using clean hands.
Add eggs and combine well. Season very lightly (feta cheese tends to be quite salty!)
Place half the phyllo sheets over the bottom of a buttered baking pan, one on top of the other, brushing each one with oil.
Spread the spinach mixture evenly on top, and cover with the remaining phyllo sheets, brushing each one with oil.
Score the spanakopita into pieces, and brush the surface with the remaining oil.
Bake at 350F for 30 to 40 min, or until until golden brown. Serve warm or cold.