My boyfriend loves spanakopita and tahini sauce so I made this meal for him and some friends recently and it was a huge hit!
Spanakopita:
Ingredients:
about 2 cups of chopped fresh spinach (leaves only)
about 1 tablespoon olive oil
4 green onions-chopped
about 2 tbsp. fresh dill-chopped
about 4 tbsp. feta cheese-crumbled
2 eggs, beaten
salt
pepper
a pinch of nutmeg
1/3 cup butter, melted
5 sheets of phyllo pastry
Directions:
-preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
-wash the spinach and place it in salted boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. then drain it and rinse the spinach in cold water. make sure to squeeze out all the excess water and place on the side.
-heat oil in a saucepan and add the green onions, spinach and dill. Cook for a few minutes until the onions are soft. Remove and cool (i placed it on a plate in the fridge)
-in a large bowl, combine the spinach mixture, eggs, feta, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
-place one sheet of the phyllo dough on a large working area. cut it into 5 equal strips lenghwise/vertically.
-brush one strip with melted butter. cover with a second strip and brush with butter again. Take a spoonful of the mixture and place in the bottom corner of the strip. Fold the strip over at the corner creating a triangle. Continue folding the dough up the strip in the shape of a triange until the whole strip is folded.
-repeat with the remaining strips of dough until the mixture is finished.
-brush each pastry with a little bit of butter.
-place the triangles on a baking sheet and bake for about 12-15 minutes or until they are golden.
Tahini Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of tahini
1/3 cup of warm water
2 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tsps. dried parsley leaves
pinch of chilli powder
Directions:
-in a food processor combine the garlic and the tahini for only a few seconds. If you overprocess the tahini it becomes hard and too thick.
-remove from the food processor and add the olive oil, lemon juice and mix. Then add the warm water and mix well.
-mix in the parsley flakes and chilli powder.
Lemon Tomato Rice Pilaf
Ingredients:
1 cup long grain white rice like basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 cup of green onions
1/2 a grated lemon (the rind of the lemon)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup vegetable stock
fresh ground black pepper
Directions:
-in a large saucepan, heat oil and cook the onion for a few minutes or until soft. Add the tomatoes.
-stir in the rice, then add the stock and bring to a boil.
-reduce heat and cover, let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender.
-stir in the lemon grind, lemon juice, parsley and add pepper to taste.
Serve the spanakopita in a plate with a spoon of tahini sauce on top of each one and the rice in the side. garnish each plate with fresh parsley if desired.
(I made this meal for 4 people, can easily serve 5.) ©
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