G for Greece. I very often come across these cute samosa like appetizers in the freezer section of our local wholesale store. I always eye them, read the ingredients and put it back thinking that these might not be favored at home. So when this series of 'Around the world in 30 days' was conceptualized, I had my G fixed in my mind and noted down in the spreadsheet I use to keep track of my posts.
Though this has been on my list forever, It was almost the last but 7th to be made and documented. I found this vegan version of these spinach pies, so to say. Apparently, the authentic Greek spanakopita was vegan, but the adaptations with Feta cheese and other ingredients are more popular.
I tried to make it as vegan as possible using the ingredients accessible to me. They are made using Phyllo sheets but I couldn't lay my hands on those sheets. I got something called samosa sheets (vegan, but not certified) which were comparable to the phyllo sheets. The results were just as flaky and crisp.
Ingredients -
Samosa Sheets 1 pack (25 thin rectangles about 3.5 X 8 inches)
Spinach 1 lb (I used frozen and thawed)
Dill, chopped 3 Tbsp
Spring Onion, chopped 4 Tbsp
Fresh Mint, chopped 2 Tbsp
Garlic, grated 1 tsp
Salt (use sparingly)
Crushed Pepper as needed
Olive Oil 1 Tbsp + more for brushing
Method Of Preparation -
In a heat pan, add oil and saute the thawed spinach for a minute making sure there is not moisture. If needed squeeze out the water from spinach before use.
Add in the rest of the herbs. Sprinkle salt and pepper and remove from heat.
On each samosa sheet, put 1 tablespoon of the spinach filling to one corner and wrap it in a triangular fashion and seal the ends with moist fingers.
The filling was sufficient for 30 samosas but the pack had 25 so the rest of the filling was used up for tasting :).
Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Arrange the wrapped samosas on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 23 min or until they are golden brown and crisp.
Cool them on a wire rack before serving. I froze the unused spanakopitas for later use. Just thaw and bake again until they are crisp.
Preparation Time 25 min + Baking time 23 min
Makes 25
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