Des couches croustillantes et dorées brisantes de pâte filo beurrée à la main renfermant une généreuse garniture d'épinards fanés, de féta acidulée et d'herbes fraîches — le pâté de confort grec ultime.
La spanakopita est l'un des plats les plus célébrés de la cuisine grecque — un pâté qui apparaît à chaque célébration, dans chaque boulangerie et à la table de chaque grand-mère grecque à travers le pays. Des feuilles minces de pâte filo, lisses comme du papier, sont badigeonnées d'huile d'olive ou de beurre fondu et superposées pour créer une croûte d'une délicatesse extraordinaire, tandis que la garniture d'épinards, de féta, d'œufs et d'herbes offre un contraste satisfaisant de richesse salée et herbacée. Fait correctement, le résultat est un pâté de contraste textural énorme : l'extérieur se brise comme du verre tandis que l'intérieur reste humide, crémeux et intensément savoureux.
Sert 8
If using fresh spinach, wash thoroughly and remove tough stems. Working in batches, wilt the spinach in a dry hot pan or briefly blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds. Transfer to a colander and allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much water as possible using your hands — form the spinach into a ball and wring repeatedly. Excessive moisture is the enemy of a crispy spanakopita. Roughly chop the squeezed spinach.
Squeeze the spinach even more thoroughly than you think necessary. A wet filling will produce a soggy bottom layer that cannot be rescued.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 8 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and spring onion and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. In a large bowl, combine the squeezed spinach, cooled onion mixture, crumbled feta, beaten eggs, dill, parsley and nutmeg. Season with black pepper but taste before adding salt — feta is very salty. Mix well.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Brush a 23×33cm (9×13-inch) baking dish with olive oil. Keep the filo sheets covered with a slightly damp tea towel as you work — they dry out and crack in seconds when exposed to air. Work quickly and with confidence. Lay one filo sheet in the dish and brush lightly with oil or melted butter, reaching the edges. Repeat with 8–10 sheets for the base, alternating the direction of each sheet to ensure even coverage.
Filo does not need to be perfectly flat or wrinkle-free — crinkled and ruffled sheets actually create more texture and crunch in the finished pie.
Spread the spinach and feta filling evenly over the filo base, pressing into the corners. Fold any overhanging filo edges back over the filling. Layer the remaining 8–10 filo sheets over the filling in the same way, brushing each with oil. Tuck the top sheets neatly under the edges of the pie. Brush the top generously with oil and, if using, scatter with sesame seeds.
Using a very sharp knife, score the top layers of filo (not all the way through) into your desired serving portions — squares, rectangles or triangles. Scoring prevents the filo from shattering in an uncontrolled way when cut after baking. Sprinkle a few drops of cold water over the top — this creates steam in the oven and helps the layers puff and separate.
Bake for 45–50 minutes until the top is deeply golden all over and the pie sounds hollow when tapped in the centre. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting along the score lines and serving. Spanakopita is equally good warm or at room temperature, and many argue it is best the day after baking.
Thawed frozen filo can be just as good as fresh — keep it refrigerated overnight to thaw and bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before using.
If filo tears, simply patch it with the next sheet and brush with oil — imperfections are invisible and irrelevant in the finished pie.
For individual spanakopita triangles (tyropitakia style), cut filo into strips and fold into triangles around a spoonful of filling — ideal for parties and mezze.
Add a handful of pine nuts or sun-dried tomatoes to the filling for extra texture and complexity.
Tiropita (cheese pie): replace spinach entirely with a mixture of feta, ricotta and beaten eggs for a pure cheese pie.
Add ricotta: mix 200g of full-fat ricotta into the feta filling for a creamier, less salty, slightly richer result.
Meat spanakopita: add 300g of cooked, minced lamb or beef to the spinach filling for a heartier, more substantial pie.
Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.
Spanakopita keeps at room temperature (covered) for 1 day. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in an oven at 180°C for 10–15 minutes to restore crispiness — never microwave, as the filo turns completely limp. The unbaked assembled pie can be frozen for up to 3 months and baked directly from frozen (add 15 minutes to cooking time).
Pites (pies) are among the oldest continuously made foods in Greece, with roots in ancient Hellenic and Byzantine cooking traditions. Spanakopita as we know it today became widespread during the Ottoman period, when filo pastry technique was refined and disseminated across the Eastern Mediterranean. Every region of Greece has its own variations — in Epirus, the pies are particularly elaborate; in Crete, the filo is sometimes replaced with a flaky olive oil pastry. The dish spread globally with the Greek diaspora in the 20th century.
Sogginess almost always comes from excess moisture in the spinach. Squeeze the wilted spinach as hard as possible — form it into a ball and twist it in a clean tea towel, repeating two or three times. Also allow the onion mixture to cool completely before mixing into the filling — hot onion will begin to wilt the spinach further and release more liquid. Ensure the baking dish is preheated (place it in the oven for 5 minutes) so the base filo crisps immediately on contact.
Yes, and many traditional Greek recipes use only olive oil. Olive oil produces a slightly more rustic, less golden crust with a pleasant grassiness. Butter gives a richer, deeper golden colour and more buttery flavour. A 50/50 combination of melted butter and olive oil is used in many bakery recipes for the best of both: good colour, rich flavour and a hint of fruitiness. Whatever you use, brush each sheet generously — under-oiled filo becomes papery and white rather than golden and crisp.
Yes, and it is often better the next day. You can assemble the pie fully, refrigerate overnight unbaked, and bake the next day — add 5–10 minutes to the baking time if starting from cold. Alternatively, bake fully, cool, and refrigerate. Reheat portions in the oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. For parties, assemble individual triangles, freeze on a tray until solid, then bag them — bake straight from frozen at 190°C for 20–25 minutes.
Yes — most of the components can be prepared up to a day in advance and refrigerated separately. Reheat gently and assemble just before serving so textures stay distinct.
Par portion (230g) · 8 portions totales
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