Pasta Grannies go Greek & make spinach pie!
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- čas přidán 25. 08. 2024
- Who doesn't love crunchy flaky pastry enveloping cheesy salty spinach? It's even better when you make your own spinach pie, or spanakopita, and Alexandra shares her recipe from the mountain town of Florina, which is on the Greek /North Macedonia border - the ingredients are listed below.
Let me know if you occasionally like to see pasta/pastry/dough based recipes from other countries.
Filo
400g all purpose flour plus extra for flouring surface etc
1 Tablespoon oil- corn or olive oil
1 tsp salt
250ml of lukewarm water
around 400g salted butter, melted - clarified if possible - for spreading between the layers of dough
1/2 teaspoon dry yeast
Filling
1 350g bag of washed fresh baby spinach
1 large leek washed very well and finely chopped
2 bunches scallions(spring onions) finely chopped
(1 small regular onion finely chopped, optional)
1 lb feta- good quality like Dodoni
2 tablespoons small curd cottage cheese or ricotta cheese (or mizythra if you can get hold of it)
50g cream cheese
5 eggs
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1 T olive oil
Pepper to taste
Yes, I would like to see more Greek dishes. That dish looks good! I love this channel. No doubt, those grannies had been through a lot in life--war, sickness, trying to make ends meet, and raising a family. But they've stood the test of time, and they're still cooking food that looks so delicious!!
Absolutely YES to multi-cultural grannies! Thank you!
Greek food makes the world a better place. ❤️
I wish I could hug this nice lady❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. I love Greek food, and this was probably one of the best food videos I have ever seen. And the whole family atmosphere is so warm.
Kisses from an Albanian woman😍😍😍!
If Italian nonnas are pasta grannies, then Greek yiayias are phyllo grannies!
if you think about it, pasta in italian also means dough, so one is not that far from the other. There's even types of phyllo that are thick enough you can cut them into pasta like tagliatelle, papardelle, linguine etc.
I would love to see recipes from other grannies, omas, yayas, et al!!! These are wonderful to watch. What a treasure for their families to have. Thank you for following your passion to film these talented, hardworking women!
That yaya is hardcore! I love how she doesn't measure anything and throws it all together for the millionth time.
Με το Μάτη
@@davidmann8254 Και χωρίς ορθογραφία βλέπω :P
Most of us Italo - Americans are descendants of southerners and our ancestral land was once known as Magna Grecia.
I used to live in a neighborhood that had a wonderful Greek bakery, and I would often go there for spanakopita. There were always a bunch of older fellows playing cards. Once while I was waiting at the counter, one of them tried to strike up a conversation in Greek, which went something like this:
"I'm sorry - I don't understand."
In English : "You're Greek, yes?"
"No, Italian."
"You know where your people are from?"
"Yes, Calabria."
"Eh, you're Greek!"
so true! There are many areas in magna grecia where the local dialect is still to this day is heavily intertwined with Greek. Greek myths and Greek names of places are also prevalent all over Magna Grecia!
Doesn't matter true or not, but sometimes they really get annoying and arrogant with that "Greek" thing.
If you ask them, everyone is Greek and everything is Greek.
You are Albanian hahahahaha
Italians say for Greeks una facia una razza my friend
@@aaronkastriotiseni1406 so is the pasta but dont tell anyone castrato
The technical ability this woman has is remarkable. Rolling Phyllo is so hard, I don't think people understand.
A great recipe from a Greek neighbor of Sicily. We must also be neighbors in New Jersey since I recognize the gallon of olive oil which I buy at Jerry's Gourmet in Englewood!
Greeks can work magic with crusts, savory and sweet and she didn't disappoint. Thanks Vicky.
I have a big soft spot for Greek pítes 😊🌺 best wishes, Vicky
@@pastagrannies To you as well Vicky.
I'm half Italian and half Greek, so this is officially my favourite CZcams channel now ❤
Έλληνες, Ιταλοί, είμαστε οι ίδιοι άνθρωποι.
The Hellenes and the Italians are brothers. "Pita" and "pizza" are different ways of indicating the same concept, although they may seem incompatible for Anglo-Saxons. If in Naples the term used is "pizza", in Romagna it becomes "piada" (or "piadina", which is the diminutive), in Calabria it is "pitta chjina" when it is filled like the pita we have just seen preparing. Of course, the doughs change, but all respond to the principle of honoring the wheat which, with olive oil and wine, represents the food of the Mediterranean gods.
Gli elleni e gli italiani sono fratelli. "Pita" e "pizza" sono modi diversi di indicare lo stesso concetto, sebbene possano sembrare incompatibili per gli anglosassoni. Se a Napoli il termine usato è "pizza", in Romagna diventa "piada" (o "piadina", che è il diminutivo), in Calabria è "pitta chjina" quando viene riempita come la pita che abbiamo appena visto preparare . Certo, gli impasti cambiano, ma tutti rispondono al principio di onorare il grano che, con olio d'oliva e vino, rappresenta il cibo degli dei mediterranei.
Thank you for your insight Maurizio, best wishes Vicky
Una razza, una faccia
Maurizio Costa 🇬🇷🇨🇾🇮🇹μπράβο Maurizio
sfoglia = φύλλο = leaf. Literally the same method of rolling out pasta and filo because they are the same thing, a leaf of dough. Una razza, una faccia
Here in Spain we have cocas in Catalonia, which is kind of pizza but without the cheese and the rest of Spain is pretty well known for the empanadas and empanadillas (different things)
She is so amazing, the connections with Genovese - Greek cuisines are amazing, I guess it''s normal since they where our neighbors before Romans times Nice being a Greek colony and Liguria being an Independent sea fearing civilization
Hi Luna, I hadn't thought of the Genovese connection before - thank you for sharing your insight! 😊🌺 best wishes, Vicky
@@pastagrannies Hi Vicky, thanks for replying, and most of all thanks for all the effort you put in making these amazing videos, they are truly priceless. No insight here is just a supposition we love food and we love history, we had a chance to travel a lot for work, and I always find this amazing redundancy in the food of seafaring people.
Hello from Genoa! Yes, there are deep connections, but no need to go that far back in time. The Genoese had colonies in the Byzantine, then the Ottoman Empire, from the Middle Age to the early modern era, and by then the cuisine on both sides was developed enough to allow for such transfers to happen.
Ardoxsho this is also true, especially in Istanbul cuisine there are so many dishes that echos genovese ones but it reminds me of langanum sheets of dough baked in the oven that’s why I went so back ...from Genoa too btw ❤️
I think I heard some historian in a documentary say, that during the time of the Byzantine (East Roman) empire, Venetian traders visited Constantinople and were shocked that using more olive oil and adding a few spices made the food delicious rather than weird. Apparently there was some preconception against spices at the time in Italy.
Home Depot is a home improvement store in the US. They have a section that has wooden dowels for wall hangings and curtains.
and smaller ones for joinery and making bungs for screw heads
angellover02171 The problem with those is that they tend not to be completely round and they warp easily. I use a broom handle (but make sure you check that it’s completely straight before you buy it!).
That Yaya's tip at the end about the forks under the pita is clever, BUT for me, my favorite part is the soggy dough at the bottom! It doesn't matter if it's spanakopita, tiropita, kreatopita, whatever...I'm a soggy bottom girl. LOL
LMAO THAT SOUNDS SO WRONG
I understand you very well as I don't like crispy food in general 😊
I'm a sculptor and I must say that I love how the grannies knead and roll out their doughs. I feel it.
Just say your Greek episode & I'm always amazed of the influences of Greek and Arabic culture in southern Italy. I never realized how similar a stuffed calzone with scallions from Bari is to the Greek Spanakopita!
Woahhh what a surprise!! I am greek and I love your channel! Spinach pie is famous everywhere in Greece but the north of Greece is particularly famous for their pies, they have all sorts and the grandmas know how to make an amazing pie dough. My grandma was from the north of Greece and she knew how to do it effortlessly! xx
Are their other types of Greek pies with different filling?
shades3142 that’s so greek🇬🇷🇨🇾
Hi, I'm a fellow greek, not a granny yet, haha but do make my own pites. Made a spanakopita yesterday. I live in Macedonia (Greece!) where having pita for lunch is as common as having a bowl of pasta.
angellover02171
Yes, we also use feta cheese and mizithra ( equivalent to rocotta) on it's own or mixed with a few eggs, there are also meat fillings, sauerkraut and rice fillings, pumpkin fillings either sweet or savory, milk filling, which is called galatopita ( milk pie). Also chicken and mushroom fillings, onions and mushrooms, and so many more variations depending on the regions.
The fillings I mentioned are very common in northern Greece.
@@angellover02171 If it's sweet or savoury and was available in Greece for some time, you can pretty much bet some yiayiá or mamá made a pie with it.
Soooooo delicious!! I grew up in a pretty typical New England family, and when as a teen had my first spanakopita in New Haven, Connecticut, I was astounded! Much more interesting than my mum's tunafish cheese and rice to be sure! Thanks so much, Vicky!
Please have more Yiayia’s on the show! Una faccia una razza
Razza? Siamo nel 2021!!!
Now that’s a spinach pie! YUMMY! What a lovely lady!
Yeia sas Kyria Alexandra xxx bravo ♥ awesome thanks for sharing this one too 😊
In the ER after the heart attack: “Me regret nuthin'!!!!!!“
Boy that looks amazing.
I watch these wonderful grannies every chance I can.
They are filled with knowledge and passion for what they do! Wish I could give them all a hug and taste their food! Thank you for sharing! Much 💕
Hearing her crack into that spinach pie made me think of FoodWishes: "Fork Don't Lie"
We call it "Banitza next door (Bulgaria) and put stinging nettle in it
Greetings from the Balkans
Us Greeks have a lot to learn from the beautiful pies in Bulgaria!!
Yessssss! So great! More Greek grannies please! 🥰
I watch Alexandra often as she reminds me so much of my mother. They could have been sisters! My darling mother made similar pites as she was born in a village of Kastoria. The best pites are made in Macedonia Greece! May God bless Alexandra with health and happiness.
The process of making the dough is very similar to French puff pastry, the coating with butter and then folding in three multiple times, only this uses melted butter instead of solid butter. It doesn't puff up the same way, but it does have that multi-layer crackle. And I love when she said "Home Depot!" for the rolling pin. Julia Child used to use a broom handle converted by her husband.
hi Thomas, in other recipes I've seen for filo, olive oil is used; I'm guessing that since Florina is in the mountains close to North Macedonia, butter is the local fat. I wonder if originally it was sheep's milk butter. best wishes, Vicky
@@pastagrannies Your guess is right! In Florina in the old days the olive oil came from the South and it was rather expensive. Goats butter was mostly used, which made the flavor richer, but the pitta heavier for the stomach. Currently for health reasons they use olive oil only, which is accessible nowadays. Traditionally they "opened" extremely thin fyllos one by one separately, from five until seven and either laid the stuff in between, or they put four in the bottom and three on top with the stuff on the fourth fyllo. This sfoliata technique is a novelty introduced because the procedure is much easier. My mother carves the pitta in pieces before putting it in the oven.
Sono italiana, amo la nostra cucina copiata in tutto il mondo e proposta in tutto il mondo, spesso male, ma la cucina greca, tra l'altro vicina a noi è molto gustosa e buonissima, brava signora che mi ricorda la mia mamma che non c'è più, spero in altre ricette greche
Hi..respect for Yiayia Alexandra, although her recipe is slightly different... 🇺🇸U.S.influenced...as some ingredients were not available...traditionally 🇬🇷🇨🇾 NO CREAM CHEESE.. and not so much butter 🔸but olive oil. I find that 2-3 eggs are enough... but that depends on quantity of filling...I love her enthusiasm and happiness though ,so totally Greek..and I say to the Italians especially southern Italy once part of Magna Grecia 🇬🇷🇮🇹una razza una faccia
What about the yeast, did they also use it traditionally?
Being from the Balkans this was certainly a beautiful surprise! Thank you 😍
hi Almina, I'm pleased you enjoyed the change 😊🌺 best wishes, Vicky
What a nice surprise... I hadn't realised it was Friday! 😂😂😂
hi Janet, the weekly upload is about the only thing that keeps me on track with the days at the moment 😀 best wishes, Vicky
QUE LINDA SEÑORA PREPARANDO LA MASA FILO,EXITOS EN SU COCINA SALUDOS FRATERNOS DESDE CHICLAYO CAPITAL EN LA COSTA NORTE DEL PERU.
I would love to see more greek recipes too. 💝💝
My Papu taught me how to make this when I was 4 and I've been making it myself for the past 30 years
What a lovely Grannie. Wow how delicious! I love Spanikopita. Yummy!
Usually we make spinach pie with olives oil! Becomes more tasty... And inside some mint or other "grass" that gives taste, according to how we like.
More Greek Grannies (yai yai's) please!!
love how flakey the crust is... looks so good
I love her measuring cups and spoons!!! That is the proof of a magnificent cook! Spinarch pie is my favourite guilty pleasure. Bravo
I could never do this, but I love watching it being done
Lovely to see a Greek Granny and recipe! I hope you guys explore more of the regions surrounding italy and the Mediterranean sea!
Do not underestimate how difficult making that dough is!! Took my mom and I years to master it, and we still need to carefully measure all the ingredients each time we make pita or burek!
Any typical beginner errors you can help us with!?
@@ArndEmpting Flour can be dry or damp. Chilling/freezing it before making a pastry will increase the flakiness, it keeps the fat cold while you handle it.
This is a very sophisticated dish
I have never made filo before, so I might try to do it now, and make this recipe with Swiss chards from my garden. It looks so tasty. Like a Greek-style torta pasqualina. Thanks for the recipe. And yes, I'd love to learn more from pasta grannies from different countries 🙂
What a fantastic pita! There are many grannies around Europe who make their variations of pasta. It would be great to see pasta grannies visit countries such as Croatia, Spain, Greece etc to see how grannies in different countries make pasta (once it’s safe to travel). Love the channel! Regards from Sydney, Australia.
Spanish grandmas are not known for pasta but most grandmas are known for croquetas and empanadas and empanadillas and fried pastry.
And they are awesome in that
@@gadeaiglesiassordo716 YUM - they're all my favourite :)
I just made spanikopita last week, and shared it with a friend who’d never had it before. She loved it! I didn’t love it until I started making my own. Now, it’s addictive!
Bravo, Alexandra mou.
Thank you!
You have shown us that making phyllo from scratch is something that we Can do at home!
Spanikopita is my of my favourite dishes!
What a sweet Grandma!
Alexandra is charming
This is wonderful! I love her!
TFS I think she needs a bit more butter 🤣😂🤣😂I love it 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I love watching her beautiful hands work magic with the flour. Thank you for these inspiring video’s😊
One of my favorites!
One of my all-time favorite Pasta Grannies. That looked delicious, and sounded heavenly.
I love this hope you guys branch out to other grannies from other countries.
Such a wonderful pita & the hint of putting the forks underneath the cooked pie is just brilliant & it works perfectly. I made it & it was absolutely sensational, many many thank yous for this great video.
The fork thing is a good tip, isn't it. I am delighted the pie was a success! best wishes, Vicky
SAGRADA GRÉCIA 🇬🇷 E ITÁLIA 🇮🇹🍾🎉🇻🇦🇻🇦✨🥰😘😍🙏😇🇮🇹🇬🇷🇬🇷😍😘🤝😘🥰✨✨🇻🇦
That is years and years of experience making the pastry and that Spanikopita. Good luck to those on their first experience 😂🤦. But we all have to start somewhere.
She's amazing! So cute and a delightful Yia Yia!! Hope the daughters have kept the tradition too! We should never lose these recipes. Greek Yia Yia's have always made the best food in Greece (and in those homes where Greeks have moved abroad)..
Thanks for the upload!
Exactly what I was looking for, looks so yummy!😍🤎
My family and I will like this recipe. I've got to try making homemade filo dough someday. Thanks Pasta Grannies!
God Bless her for making the dough! I use the frozen filo you buy at the supermarket!
Magnificent. That's the pie I want for my Pascha breakfast. Wow!
Of all the videos I have seen here this is the one I most want to try. I have never seen anyone make filo and it looked really amazing when it was baked. The filling was delicious look as well.
“Tablespoon of corn oil”
Pours in half the bottle
We never use shity corn oils in Greece only olive oil
@@ALEXANDERCRETA1 You can't afford corn oil there.
@@nonenoneonenonenone we produce tones of the best olive oil in the world here in Crete (extra virgin) that travels around the globe there is no reason to buy or put in our food corn oil lower quality,so we are responsible to add some quality in your plate-food...
If you can afford it off course, couse olive oil is more expensive that corn oil if you knowing better and don't make the smartass😉
@@nonenoneonenonenone Not really, corn oil is the cheaper oil we use for frying, along with sunflower oil. Crete is an exception to the rule, their olive oil production is so big they use it both in frying and in regular cooking.
The way she makes the pastry reminds me of how my godmother would make the pita pastry... It’s a fond memory I have of someone I adored ❤️
This is excellent and heart warming to watch. Keep up the good work.
She is lovely.
Wow! I Love it! Tks and kisses from Brazil 😘
Very impressive. I’m going to try it tomorrow!
Bravo ...fantastic👩🍳💕
Maravilhoso!!! Wonderful!!!👏👏👏👏❤
I'm proud of this wonderful yiayia. I'm so glad my place is famous for its pies. Florina sends you her love and her kisses. We are waiting for you to come and taste our products and our unique pies. 🇬🇷❤️ #Florina
A lovely lady. A wonderful lesson.
Oh my gosh that looks delicious! Beautiful hands! I could watch her all day.
OMG!!!! I am practically drooling.
Ελλαδάρααα!! Γειά σου γιαγιάκα! :D
Looks delicious and I have loved watching the video. Hugs from Canada 🇨🇦
She is precious!
Fabulous
Thank you for sharing this.
My grandma cooked the same oh gosh reminds me of my granny 😍😍
Superb, made me very hungry!!!! Love these ladies 🥰xxxx
I love making pitas with my yiayia !! Greetings from greece
Γεια στα χέρια σας κυρία Αλεξάνδρα! ❤️
I am so enjoying these videos, I saw you on a Rachel Ray rerun and I immediately subscribed, I always joke and say that I was an Italian in my past life lol I love the food, the style of cooking, the low and slow methods never rushing meals to be cooked. I am in my element watching these amazing grannies and their skills.😍
hi Yolanda, welcome to Pasta Grannies and thanks for subscribing. I hope you find lots of inspiration! best wishes, Vicky
@@pastagrannies oh thank you, it is my new comfort, hoping to try one of these dishes this weekend, wish me luck. 🙂
yolande Dick I don't blame you. I too must have been Italian in a past life, greek in this one, but have some Italian decent. Many times watching these grannies work their magic, I've been inspired and made something new.
Watching the passion and sparkle in their eye gives me incentive to never give up.
That looks wonderful
Yum! Love spinach pie. Many Greeks settled in Detroit 100 years ago. They opened many restaurants, serving the spinach pie to diners across our region. I typically enjoy seeing all the granny kitchens. Today's looked way to familiar! Hope you enjoyed time across the pond.
I did thank you - it is always a great adventure visiting the States. 😊 best wishes, Vicky
It's the unsung glory of the channel, grannies' kitchens. My favs are Italian ones, so elegant, yet so functional. The veritable heart of the house.
@@Songbirdstress they are charming!
I did my best to copy the dough recipe and then used my own filling as I've been making it for years. It turned out well, just not quite as flaky as hers. Going to try again today, but I would love some better guidance specifically on how to make that dough! I can't find any recipe online that doesn't involve making little dough balls first. This is much easier to just use a top and bottom layer! What a delightful video!
hi Julie, Alexandra's daughter tested the recipe and I posted it on the Pasta Grannies Facebook page earlier this year, which might help you. best wishes, Vicky
Beautiful Mother. Lovely daughters. You have my admiration.
Looks wonderful ❤️
That looks amazing!
OMG may i please come visit for 9 days to be fed by grannie that looks sooooooooooooooo delicious.
Pasta Grannies, come to Greece and find out more about pies/πίτες. Spanakópita is just one of the thousands. And with any filling you can possibly imagine. Sweet, savoury, with greens, with dairy, with fruit you name it. Italy has pasta, Greece has pies. Screw bean soup!
I love fassoulada 😊 it would be fun to discover more pítes. best wishes, Vicky
I have never seen anyone make filo! I love watching her roll it. Lovely lady and yummy looking meal! Efharisto! (Did I spell that right?)
Colette Rice 🇬🇷🇨🇾Evcharisto!
Yes!
There should be a Pasta Grannies for Greek grandmas.
Lots of love graany....
γεια σου ελληνιδα γιαγια..υπεροχη σπανακοπιτα..
Cucina Mediterranea forever ♥️!!!!