Growing up, my family was all about food. My parents would drive us 3 hours to New York City to eat “real” Pakistani food. On the weekend, we were travelers in search for the next delicious meal. My sister and I would be ever so excited to explore new places and see the hustle and bustle of different cities. Our eyes were always wide-open, ready for these experiences. Whether, we went to Newport for fresh, straight from the ocean seafood, or to a little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant that we still frequent to this day, we were set to feast. We learned about other cultures this way, too. What better way for parents to expose their children to different cultures than through their food. Food welcomes you into a new culture. The tastes of the cuisine transports you to a new place, somewhere less familiar than what we are used to, but at the same time we are ready to embrace the novelty.
Tucked away in the back seat, my sister and I would peer out of the windows with utter enthusiasm waiting for a new exploration. If you remember, we were the two sisters who played in the woods and pretended we were pioneers, Indians, French, you name it-we pretended it (the joys of childhood!). These excursions took our make-believe world into reality.
I have very fond memories of attending the Greek Orthodox festival in Rhode Island. As many of you are probably aware, Greeks (like most of us) are completely immersed in their cuisine and take great pride in hospitality and serving their traditional dishes to others. There was food galore. Souvlakis would be sizzling on hot coals, my sister and I would stare in awe at the roast lamb spinning on a spit with the juices dripping down and coating the lamb with deliciousness, and flaky phyllo pastries such as baklava and spanakopita. This festival was overflowing with sensory delight. We would also watch the Greek dancers in amazement. My sister and I would “choreograph” Bollywood dance skits at home, so the Greek dances piqued our interest as well.
We would walk around just take it all in and we loved every minute of it. Our main purpose was eating, of course. Our favorite thing to indulge in were the spanakopitas. To this day I love them, no matter how introductory they are to greek cuisine. The flaky and paper-thin phyllo layers were (and still are) so fun to break off layer by layer and in the middle you would meet the spinach filling full of feta, parley, and olive oil. This is one way to get your kids to eat spinach. I make spanakopita from time to time and each time I do I am reminded of the Greek Orthodox festival and every time I think it would be so nice to go again.
Spanakopita with Kalamata Olives and Pine Nuts
Serves 8
Ingredients
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
crushed red chili flakes, to taste
2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces spinach leaves, stems removed and chopped
4 scallions, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped dill
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped mint
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4-1/2 cup grated kefalotyri cheese
1 tablespoon sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup kalamata olives, chopped
2 tablespoons roasted pine nuts
salt and black pepper, to taste
16 ounce package of phyllo dough, if frozen defrosted overnight in the refrigerator
Method
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a sauté pan on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the shallots. Allow the shallots to cook for 2-3 minutes or until they become to soften and add in the garlic and red chili flakes. Once the garlic perfumes the oil, add in the chopped spinach. Let the spinach wilt and cook down. Add some salt, black pepper, and the pinch of nutmeg. Once the spinach is all cooked, set it aside and allow it to cool slightly. In the meantime, grease a 9″ by 13″ baking dish.
Once the spinach has cooled, add in the remaining ingredients (except the phyllo and remaining olive oil), there is no rhyme of reason to the order. Mix to combine all the ingredients, make sure they are well incorporated.
Next, take the phyllo dough (make sure to cover it with a damp kitchen towel so that it doesn’t dry out) and cut the sheets so that they would fit into the baking dish. I had to simply cut the sheets in half. Once the sheets are the right size, divide the phyllo into two equal stacks. One stack will be for the bottom layer, one will be for the top layer.
Take the phyllo dough two sheets at a time and layer into the baking dish. Every second sheet should be brushes generously with olive oil. Once the first stack of phyllo is finished layer all of the spinach mixture over the phyllo. Then, repeat the process so that the spinach is covered and in the middle of the two stacks of phyllo dough. Make sure the phyllo layers are well oiled so that they become crispier.
Bake the spanakopita in the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the phyllo is golden brown. Once slightly cooled, cut into squares or diamonds. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Very Flaky and ultra tempting looking! Half of the ingredients I havent heard ever in my life but by the look of it , it looks totally my kinda food! My father used to go to Chandni Chowk every Sunday to eat at famous parathe waali gali over there..and I abs hated those oil laden ones at that time ..and now I severly miss them 🙂
do try it out! i also used to hate some foods as a child and now I miss them!
Delicious! Anything with phyllo dough is a winner in my book.
same here!!!
Nadia, I loved reading about your childhood, what wonderful parents you have to expose you guys to different cuisines at such an early age. I do the same with my boys & now they love all kinds of different cuisines which makes me very happy!
Love the Spanikopita recipe..my all time favorite! Thank you for posting! 🙂
aww thanks! your boys are super well fed with their mom being such a fab cook!
I think when we were young we were emotionally open to enjoy every new experience. As we get older we lose that ability and become emotionally closed. I think food opens that window to childhood again, I want to stay there, how about you?
you are so right!
This is totally my ideal food. I love olives. LOVE them.
thanks!
I loved hearing about how important food and new cuisine was to your family growing up. I hope to raise my children with the same appreciation for different foods! This spanakopita looks delicious. I think pine nuts are wonderful, and my husband adores olives, so we will be making this soon! Thank you for sharing. Happy Hump Day!
thanks, monet!
Looks incredibly yummy!! Especially with the addition of olives.
PS. What is kefalotiri cheese?
thanks, karen. Kefalotyri is a hard Greek cheese made from sheep or goat’s milk. It has an almost nutty flavor-try it out. It should be available in most speciality cheese shops or Greek stores.
very yummy indeed! Btw, I think you and Noreen haven’t grown up at all….still pretending all the time!
so are you!
I just love the pictures of this dish and the stories from childhood you have of this!
I know when I was younger, instead of taking us out for normal Sunday brunch, our parents would take us down to eat street (where all of the ethnically authentic restaurants were) and we’d have pho for brunch or something of that nature. Retrospectively, it was just amazing.
thanks, kat! you’re lucky to have such great parents!
What a great story, Nadia. I love it! You and your sister sound like you were absolutely adorable with such inquisitive minds, and your parents are awesome for taking you guys on little adventures. The spanikopita looks fabulous.
If you ever find the footage, I nominate you to post video of you girls doing the Bollywood dances you’d choreograph 😉
haha we do have footage, but i’m not sure i’m ready to share!
During my gluten-filled days I would eat spanakopita like it was going out of style – I love it! Or should I say loved it?
I can so relate to your story – my dad was always on the hunt for traditional, real Indian food. Its been years and the poor guy is still searching for something decent in Los Angeles!!
thanksss! nothing in LA, I can’t believe it! If I was there I’m sure I could find something. One good thing about Canada is that the Desi food is amazing!
I love that your parents are foodies too! It makes complete sense 🙂 And I’d learn about anything (even something ridiculous like cars) if food like this spanakopita was involved!
hehehe thanks, azmina!
mmmmmm omg want NOW
me toooo
I had parents who were more into working and exploring than food; sounds like your parents prepared you to a life of foodie enthusiasm! I love this dish, mainly because of the personal twist you added; less cheese, more spinach and the spices and olives and nuts give it more flavor dimension. Great job Nadia!
thanks so much!
Oh Nadia I love spanakopita too and really how wonderful of your parents to introduce your children to so so many cuisines! This looks delicious!
thanks so much kulsum!
I totally meant you* and not your!
This looks incredibly delicious! Gorgeous pictures as always!
thanks 🙂
I’ve never heard about spanakopita, it looks as something extremely tasty! Loved reading your sweet childhood memories, Nadia!
do try it if you get the chance!
This is one of my very favorite dishes, yours looks perfect 🙂 I have never tried to make it myself though…And I loved the stories with the childhood memories, wonderful 🙂
i’m sure you could make this very easily! thanks so much!
Your childhood memories are wonderful, how lucky to have had a great variety of foodie adventures growing up :)This spanakopita looks so good!! Pine nuts and olive are a perfect addition… yum!!
thanks trudy!!!
nads this looks delish another one of my “I have to make nadia make for me when i see her” dishes lol , fyi i was there one year when uncle took us to the greek festival in Rhode island 🙂
The question should be WHEN WAS I NOT THERE ?? LOL
hahahaha
need a reunion!
Hi Nadia – this looks so delicious – perfect for a winter’s night. I’m bookmarking it for just such a night.
hope you make it, sue!
Beautiful! I love olives, and I love crispy dough so this looks so delish!
thankssss
Very stunning. Love the use of greens and other ingredients. This looks perfect for many occasions. Thanks for sharing.
you’re most welcome and thanks for the lovely comment!