Spanakopita Pinwheels Recipes

SPANAKOPITA PINWHEELS

Steps:

• In a small skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add oregano and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add spinach; cook 3 minutes longer or until liquid is evaporated. Transfer to a large bowl; cool., Add feta cheese and eggs to spinach mixture; mix well. Unfold puff pastry. Spread each sheet with half the spinach mixture to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style. Cut each into twelve 3/4-in. slices. Place cut side down on greased baking sheets., Bake at 400° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

SPANAKOPITA PINWHEELS

Steps:

• Thaw and drain the spinach. You need to remove as much of the water as possible. You can do this by pressing it in a colander.
• Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent and soft. Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
• Discard the tough stems from the dill and lightly chop it.
• Add dill, spinach and green onion and cook until thoroughly heated through.
• Turn off the heat and add in the feta cheese. Stir the mixture until everything is evenly combined and season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Preheat oven according to the directions on the puff pastry box.
• Each package of puff pastry should come with two squares of pastry. Take one square and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. You want to aim for a 9" x 12" rectangle.
• Spread 1/4 of the spinach mixture onto the pastry and roll it into a log. Repeat this for all four sheets of pastry.
• Slice each log into 1" squares and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake in the oven according to the package directions.
• Once out of the oven give them a light brush with olive oil and let cool.
• These are best served at room temperature or slightly warm.

SPINACH FETA PINWHEELS

Steps:

• Whisk together the egg and water, set aside.
• Mix together the cheeses, onion, and seasonings. Set aside.
• Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to flatten the seams. Brush the surface with your egg wash.
• Top the surface with the cheese mixture, then break apart the spinach and spread evenly over the surface. ***Leave about an inch free of toppings on one of the short sides.***
• Starting on the short side that's covered with filling, roll up the pastry like a jellyroll.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment. Slice the roll into ½-3/4 inch slices and place them on the prepared sheets.
• Pop into the refrigerator or freezer to let them cool as the oven preheats to 400 degrees.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until they're golden.

SPANAKOPITA PINWHEELS

Steps:

• In a small skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add oregano and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add spinach; cook 3 minutes longer or until liquid is evaporated. Transfer to a large bowl; cool., Add feta cheese and eggs to spinach mixture; mix well. Unfold puff pastry. Spread each sheet with half the spinach mixture to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style. Cut each into twelve 3/4-in. slices. Place cut side down on greased baking sheets., Bake at 400° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

PISTACHIO PINWHEELS

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Beat 6 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in 1 egg and the vanilla (don?t worry if the mixture looks separated). Reduce the mixer speed to low; mix in the flour mixture until combined. Turn out the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap; shape into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Pulse the pistachios and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a food processor until very finely ground. Mix in the remaining egg, 2 tablespoons butter, the almond extract, pinch of salt and food coloring. Process, scraping the bowl occasionally, until a thick paste forms. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Roll out the dough into a 10-by-11-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the pistachio filling over the dough almost all the way to the edges. Starting with a short side, roll up the dough into a tight spiral. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate, reshaping the log after 1 hour, until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the log into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Arrange the rounds 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared pans.
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are firm and light golden around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pans, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

SPANAKOPITA (SPINACH TRIANGLES OR PIE)

Steps:

• 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).
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.)

EASY SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Cook the onions in a saute pan with 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil until soft and translucent (4 minute on medium).
• Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about another 2 min.).
• Combine onions, garlic, spinach, salt and pepper, hot sauce, egg, feta, Parmesan, and cottage cheeses together in a mixing bowl.
• In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons each of melted butter and olive oil.
• Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
• Place one sheet of phyllo on the bottom of the dish brush with the butter mixture.
• Top with another sheet of phyllo dough and brush with butter mixture.
• Repeat this process until you have a total of seven sheets of phyllo dough.
• Spread all of the spinach mixture over the top of the last layer of dough.
• Then repeat the process of layering the remaining Place one sheet of phyllo over the spinach mixture and paint it with the oil mixture.
• Repeat with the remaining seven sheets of dough, brushing each new layer with the butter mixture, making sure to butter the top layer.
• Bake at 375°F until the top is golden brown (about 45 minutes).
• Cut spanakopita to make little triangles.

SPINACH FETA PINWHEELS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
• Beat eggs in a bowl using a fork or whisk; stir in feta cheese, garlic powder, and salt. Add spinach and bacon and mix well.
• Unfold pastry sheets onto a lightly floured surface. Top each sheet with 1/2 of the spinach mixture and spread evenly. Starting with the short side, roll each like a jelly roll around the filling. Place rolls on a plate and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Cut each roll into 20 slices using a sharp knife. Arrange slices onto the prepared baking sheet and top each with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pastries are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer pastries to a wire rack to cool, about 10 minutes.

SPANAKOPITA SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Mix first 6 ingredients. With a corner of an egg roll wrapper facing you, place about 1/3 cup filling just below center of wrapper. (Cover remaining wrappers with a damp paper towel until ready to use.) Fold bottom corner over filling; moisten remaining wrapper edges with water. Fold side corners toward center over filling. Roll up tightly, pressing at tip to seal. Repeat. , In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry spring rolls, a few at a time, until golden brown, 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally. Drain on paper towels. , Freeze option: Freeze uncooked spring rolls in freezer containers, spacing them so they don't touch and separating the layers with waxed paper. To use, fry frozen spring rolls as directed, increasing time as necessary.

PISTACHIO PINWHEELS

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until they're very finely ground but not yet forming a paste, about 25 second-long pulses. Transfer the ground pistachios to a small bowl and set aside.
• To the same food processor (no need to wash after grinding the pistachios), add the butter and confectioners' sugar, and process until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the yolks and almond extract, and process until the mixture is smooth and light. Add the flour and salt, and pulse, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until you have a stiff, uniform dough.
• Transfer two-thirds of the dough (about 10 ounces/240 grams) to a medium bowl and add the almond flour to the bowl. Use a flexible spatula to work the almond flour into the dough until you have a uniform mixture.
• Scrape the almond dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Pat it down with your hands into a thinner layer, then place a piece of parchment paper on top. Roll out the dough between the sheets of parchment into a slab measuring about 12-by-8 inches and ¼-inch thick. (Uncover the dough and use a small offset spatula to shape the dough into a rectangle if necessary.) Slide the parchment paper onto a baking sheet and refrigerate the slab until firm, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the ground pistachios to the food processor with the remaining dough and pulse until the mixture is thoroughly blended and the dough has taken on a green color, about 7 pulses. Set aside at room temperature while the almond dough chills.
• Remove the almond dough from the refrigerator and plop tablespoon-size pieces of the pistachio dough across the surface of the slab. Use the offset spatula to spread the pistachio dough across the length of the slab in an even layer, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the longer sides. Starting at one of the longer sides and using the parchment paper to help you, roll the dough into a tight spiraled log. Wrap the log in parchment paper and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill until the dough is very firm, at least 1 hour.
• When ready to bake, arrange two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Sprinkle the demerara sugar across a cutting board. Remove the log from the refrigerator, unwrap, and roll across the board in the sugar, pressing down very firmly as you roll so the sugar adheres. Continue to roll and press until the entire log is coated. Using a sharp knife, shave a thin crosswise slice off of each end so you have straight sides with the full spiral exposed. Cut the log in half crosswise, then cut each half in half again to make quarters, and cut each quarter in half again for eighths. (This ensures even, equal slices.) As you cut, roll the pieces on the cutting board to prevent the pinwheels from gaining a flat side and losing their round shape. Cut each piece into 4 equal slices to make 32 cookies.
• Divide the cookies between the two prepared baking sheets and space them evenly. Bake the cookies on the upper and lower racks until they are golden around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes, switching racks and rotating the sheets front to back halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheets.

NETTLE SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• For the filling, wash the nettles well but don't drain them too thoroughly. Heat the solid butter in a large frying pan. When it's sizzling and has turned a nutty brown, add the nettles and cook for about 6 mins until wilted. Leave to cool.
• Using a tea towel, squeeze as much liquid out of the nettles as you can, then roughly chop and tip into a bowl. Mix in the feta, parmesan, lemon zest and juice, about two-thirds of the egg and some nutmeg, and season generously. The filling should be loose but not sloppy.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. To assemble the spanakopita, lay three sheets of filo end-to-end on your work surface, overlapping by about 5cm. Brush each piece with melted butter and top with three more sheets, then brush with more butter and add the final sheet to the middle for extra support. Spoon the nettle mix along the edge, about 2cm wide, and tuck over the short ends to stop any filling from coming out. Roll the pastry into a long sausage shape. Starting with one end, roll up the sausage into a spiral shape about 20cm wide. Put the spanakopita in a shallow round pan, like an ovenproof frying pan, if it fits. If not, slide it onto a buttered baking tray.
• Brush the pie liberally with the remaining egg and scatter with the sesame seeds. Bake for 40-45 mins or until golden brown. Leave to cool until just warm, then serve in slices with a peppery salad.