Eating Greek food in restaurants day two

For the second day of our Greek cuisine adventure we wandered into the downtown of Milwaukee. Most people have seen a gyro shop before, and have a basic idea that gyros are Greek, but we wanted something a half step more exotic. To be honest I wanted something crazy and purely Greek, but my boyfriend who was paying the bills still wanted to play it safe. You can’t really fight with the guy giving you free food. We ended up at Aladdin Middle Eastern Cuisine in the public market, or 800 N Plankinton Ave Milwaukee for non locals. Aladdin’s menu is a little more diverse then just purely middle eastern cuisine and has a fair amount of what people would first consider as Greek food. Realistically Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine share dishes and recipes so once it ends up in an American food it all kind of tastes the same.

We had one of my favorite things  on Aladdin’s menu,

Spanakopita.  it is a small Greek pie wrapped in phyllo with spinach, feta, and other fillings such as scallions and onion. They normally have a really strong feta taste to them, so if gamy is not your thing these probably not going to do it for you.  I happen to love gamy to I love spanakopita. I like to pretend that it’s good for me with all the spinach in it, but don't be fooled it is a pie and  it has a ton of butter in it. Phyllo might be a little foreign to you if you are not familiar with Greek food. For a southern comparison it’s used a lot where puff pastry would be used. Phyllo however has a thin papery texture and normally has to have a lot of butter added to it to really give it a yummy taste. If you try spanakopita and don’t like the texture you could aways Americanize it and switch out the phyllo with puff pastry, might be a shock with the filling but who knows. If you want to give spanakopita a try at home here is a recipe.

This recipe like all the recipes on this blog was made by someone who knew what they are doing and not by myself. If you like to read the original recipe click here.

Spanakopita (Spinach Triangles or Pie)

c.1997, M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger, all rights reserved

Prep Time: 1 hr 0 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: 25 min Serves: 60 triangles or 1 (9 by 13inch

1/3 cup olive oil 2 pounds spinach, washed and drained 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, chopped 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled 1 to 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted 1 pound filo pastry sheets

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan, add half of the spinach and saute until spinach wilts, tossing with tongs, about 2 minutes. Remove spinach and squeeze out excess liquid, then chop roughly. Repeat with remaining spinach, using 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Pour off any liquid from the pan, and add remaining olive oil. Add scallions and saute until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach to the scallions, along with the parsley, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. (This part can be done ahead and kept refrigerated).
2.	Stir the feta and as much beaten egg to moisten the cooled spinach mixture. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a baking sheet with some of the melted butter.
3.	Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper and a damp towel so it doesn't dry out and become brittle. Using a sharp knife, cut the filo into 3 by 11 inch strips, and recover with the towel. Use a pastry brush to brush a strip of filo with melted butter. Place a small spoonful of spinach filling 1 inch from the end of the pastry. Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle, then continue to fold up the strip in triangles, like folding up a flag. Continue with remaining strips of dough, placing filled triangles on the baking sheet and keeping them covered with a towel until all are ready to bake.
4.	Brush the triangles lightly with butter, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Serve hot. (These may be frozen before baking, layering waxed paper between layers of triangles to keep them from sticking. Bake frozen triangles an extra 10 minutes.)
	Variation: Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking pan, and spread 6 sheets of filo, brushing each with butter, on the bottom. Spoon the spinach filling over the filo, then cover with 6 more sheets of filo, buttering each sheet. Scorethe top 3 sheets with a sharp knife. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until top is golden, let stand 15 minutes, then cut into squares and serve warm.

M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger. "Spanakopita (Spinach Triangles or Pie) Recipe : : Food Network." Food Network - Easy Recipes, Healthy Eating Ideas and Chef Recipe Videos. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/spanakopita-spinach-triangles-or-pie-recipe/index.html>.