Greek Spinach & Feta Pie (Spanakopita)

Spanakopita can also be made with other greens, such as dandelion or chard, in place of spinach. You can use 1 lb. frozen chopped spinach instead of fresh. Thaw the spinach overnight or in a colander under warm running water. Squeeze out the liquid and skip the pan-wilting step.

For the filling:

• 2 lb. fresh spinach, washed, dried, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
• 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch scallions (about 3 oz. or 10 small), white and light-green parts only, trimmed and finely chopped
• 2 cups crumbled feta cheese (10 oz.)
• 1/2 cup finely grated Greek kefalotyri cheese or Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher or fine sea salt

For the assembly:

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil for brushing; more as needed
• Eighteen 9x14-inch sheets frozen phyllo dough (I use Athens brand), thawed and at room temperature
• 2 tsp. whole milk

Tip:

Phyllo dries out very fast and becomes brittle when exposed to the air. Check out our test kitchen tips for working with it.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.

Make the filling: Heat a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat. Add a few large handfuls of the spinach and cook, tossing gently with tongs. As the spinach starts to wilt, add the rest a few handfuls at a time. Cook until all the spinach is wilted and bright green, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the spinach to a colander set in a sink. Let cool slightly and squeeze with your hands to extract as much of the remaining liquid as you can.

Wipe the pan dry with a paper towel. Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook until soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Stir in the spinach, turn off the heat, and let cool for 5 minutes. Then stir in the cheeses, eggs, dill, parsley, nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp. salt and mix thoroughly.

Assemble the pie: With a pastry brush, lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with some of the oil. Working quickly, lightly oil one side of a phyllo sheet and lay it in the pan oiled side up and off center so that it partially covers the bottom and reaches halfway up one long side of the pan (the edge on the bottom of the pan will be about 1 inch from the side). Lightly oil the top of another phyllo sheet and lay it oiled side up and off center so it reaches halfway up the other long side of the pan. (If your pan has sloped sides, the sheets may be slightly longer than the bottom of the pan; if so, let the excess go up one short side of the pan and then alternate with subsequent sheets.) Repeat this pattern with 4 more phyllo sheets.

Next, lightly oil the tops of 3 phyllo sheets and layer them oiled side up and centered in the pan. Spread the filling evenly over the last layer.

Repeat the oiling and layering of the remaining 9 phyllo sheets over the filling in the same way you layered the previous 9. With the oiled bristles of the pastry brush, push the edges of the phyllo down around the sides of the pan to enclose the filling completely.

With a sharp knife, score the top phyllo layer into 24 rectangles, being careful not to cut all the way through to the filling. Using the same pastry brush, brush the milk along all the score marks (this will keep the phyllo from flaking up along the edges of the squares). Bake the spanakopita until the top crust is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool until just warm. Cut out the rectangles carefully along the score marks and serve.

Frangipane-Phyllo Pithiviers

This classic French dessert is usually made with puff pastry, but phyllo is a little easier to work with. For best results, thaw the phyllo fully in the refrigerator, and then remove the package from the fridge about an hour before assembly.

For the frangipane:

• 2-1/2 oz. (1/2 cup plus 3 Tbs.) sliced unblanched almonds
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 2-1/2 oz. (5 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 
• 2 tsp. dark rum
• Scant 1/4 tsp. almond extract

For the pastry:

• 4 oz. (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted
• 11 sheets phyllo dough, each 12x17 inches
• 1-3/4 oz. (1/2 cup) sliced unblanched almonds, toasted and chopped

Make the frangipane:

In a food processor, blend the almonds and sugar until the nuts are finely ground. Add the egg, egg yolks, butter, rum, and almond extract; process until smoothly blended. Cover and refrigerate the filling.

Assemble the pastry

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; heat the oven to 375°F. Brush the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round, 2-inch deep cake pan with melted butter. Stack the phyllo sheets and halve them crosswise with a sharp knife to make 12x81/2-inch sheets. Keep them covered with plastic and then a damp towel. Brush one half sheet with the melted butter and ease it into the prepared pan, allowing the ends to extend up the sides of the pan. Sprinkle with about 2 tsp. of the chopped almonds. Brush another half sheet with butter and lay it over the first sheet perpendicular to the first sheet (so it forms a cross). Sprinkle with another 2 tsp. chopped almonds. Continue buttering, layering, and sprinkling, crisscrossing the sheets so they evenly cover the bottom and sides of the pan, using another nine half sheets of phyllo. Spoon the frangipane into the phyllo-lined pan, spreading evenly. Snip the edges of the phyllo to leave an even 1-1/2-inch border. Fold the border over the filling; brush the top of the phyllo with melted butter.

Using the cake pan as a guide, cut six 8-inch rounds out of six more phyllo half-sheets. Brushing each layer generously with melted butter, stack the rounds on plastic wrap. With a sharp paring knife, cut a 3/4-inch circle in the center to allow steam to escape during baking. Score the top layers, starting 1/2 inch from the circle vent, with 8 semicircle cuts, pinwheel-style. Transfer the stack to the top of the filling, patting gently to seal (or do the scoring after you transfer the top).

Bake until puffed and golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the Pithiviers from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before carefully removing it from the pan and transferring it, vent side up, to a serving platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Greek Spinach & Feta Pie (Spanakopita)

Spanakopita can also be made with other greens, such as dandelion or chard, in place of spinach. You can use 1 lb. frozen chopped spinach instead of fresh. Thaw the spinach overnight or in a colander under warm running water. Squeeze out the liquid and skip the pan-wilting step.

For the filling:

• 2 lb. fresh spinach, washed, dried, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
• 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch scallions (about 3 oz. or 10 small), white and light-green parts only, trimmed and finely chopped
• 2 cups crumbled feta cheese (10 oz.)
• 1/2 cup finely grated Greek kefalotyri cheese or Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher or fine sea salt

For the assembly:

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil for brushing; more as needed
• Eighteen 9x14-inch sheets frozen phyllo dough (I use Athens brand), thawed and at room temperature
• 2 tsp. whole milk

Tip:

Phyllo dries out very fast and becomes brittle when exposed to the air. Check out our test kitchen tips for working with it.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.

Make the filling: Heat a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat. Add a few large handfuls of the spinach and cook, tossing gently with tongs. As the spinach starts to wilt, add the rest a few handfuls at a time. Cook until all the spinach is wilted and bright green, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the spinach to a colander set in a sink. Let cool slightly and squeeze with your hands to extract as much of the remaining liquid as you can.

Wipe the pan dry with a paper towel. Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook until soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Stir in the spinach, turn off the heat, and let cool for 5 minutes. Then stir in the cheeses, eggs, dill, parsley, nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp. salt and mix thoroughly.

Assemble the pie: With a pastry brush, lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with some of the oil. Working quickly, lightly oil one side of a phyllo sheet and lay it in the pan oiled side up and off center so that it partially covers the bottom and reaches halfway up one long side of the pan (the edge on the bottom of the pan will be about 1 inch from the side). Lightly oil the top of another phyllo sheet and lay it oiled side up and off center so it reaches halfway up the other long side of the pan. (If your pan has sloped sides, the sheets may be slightly longer than the bottom of the pan; if so, let the excess go up one short side of the pan and then alternate with subsequent sheets.) Repeat this pattern with 4 more phyllo sheets.

Next, lightly oil the tops of 3 phyllo sheets and layer them oiled side up and centered in the pan. Spread the filling evenly over the last layer.

Repeat the oiling and layering of the remaining 9 phyllo sheets over the filling in the same way you layered the previous 9. With the oiled bristles of the pastry brush, push the edges of the phyllo down around the sides of the pan to enclose the filling completely.

With a sharp knife, score the top phyllo layer into 24 rectangles, being careful not to cut all the way through to the filling. Using the same pastry brush, brush the milk along all the score marks (this will keep the phyllo from flaking up along the edges of the squares). Bake the spanakopita until the top crust is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool until just warm. Cut out the rectangles carefully along the score marks and serve.

Classic Baklava

• 1-lb. “twin pack” phyllo dough (two 8-oz. packs, each containing about twenty 9x14-inch sheets)

For the filling:

• 1 lb. unsalted shelled pistachios or almonds, preferably raw
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground cardamom

• 10 oz. (1-1/4 cups) unsalted butter

For the syrup:

• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp. orange flower water (optional; see our ingredient profile for more information)

Thaw the phyllo overnight in the refrigerator. Then put the phyllo box on the counter to come to room temperature, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Make the filling:

Put the pistachios, sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom in a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely chopped (the largest should be the size of small dried lentils), 15 to 20 seconds. Set aside.

Assemble the baklava:

Unfold one pack of the phyllo sheets and stack them so that they lie flat on your work surface. Cover the top with plastic wrap, letting some excess plastic fall over all four edges. Dampen and wring out a kitchen towel and drape it on top of the plastic wrap; this will hold the plastic in place and prevent the phyllo from drying out.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Brush the bottom of a 9x13-inch metal pan (preferably with straight sides and a light-color interior to prevent overbrowning on the edges) with some of the butter. Remove a sheet of phyllo from the stack, re-cover the rest (be sure to cover the remaining sheets each time you remove a new one), and put the sheet in the bottom of the pan.

Brush the sheet with some of the melted butter but don’t soak the phyllo (remember, you’ll have about 40 layers of buttered phyllo by the time you’re done). Repeat until you have layered and buttered about half the sheets from the first pack—about 10 sheets in all. If your pan has slightly angled sides, arrange the sheets so the excess falls on the same side of the pan and cut the extra off every few layers with a paring knife.

Sprinkle about one-third of the filling evenly over the phyllo.

Repeat layering and buttering the remaining sheets from the first pack and sprinkle on another third of the filling. Open, unfold, and cover the second pack of phyllo. Layer and butter it as described above, sprinkling the remaining filling after layering about half the phyllo, and ending with a final layer of phyllo (you may not need all of the butter). Cover loosely and put the pan of baklava in the freezer for 30 minutes (this makes it much easier to cut the pastry).

Bake the baklava:

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

Before baking, use a thin, sharp knife (I prefer serrated) and a gentle sawing motion to cut the baklava on the diagonal at 11/2-inch intervals in a diamond pattern. Try not to compress the pastry by pressing down on it with one hand while cutting with the other. Not only are you cutting serving portions, you are also cutting pathways for the flavored syrup to permeate the pastry, so be sure to cut the pastry all the way to the bottom of the pan. If you have an electric carving knife, this is the perfect time to use it.

Bake the baklava until golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely. If making one of the variations below, run a knife along the cut lines. (Both variations contain sticky ingredients that can seal the cuts shut during baking, making it difficult for the syrup to be absorbed evenly.)

Make the syrup:

Put the sugar and 2/3 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is clear, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the orange flower water (if using).

Pour the syrup evenly over the entire surface of the baklava, allowing it to run down into the cut marks and along the sides of the pan. Allow the baklava to cool to room temperature before serving.