![Cast-Iron Sourdough Pancakes](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/03/19/magazine/19eat1/19eat1-mediumThreeByTwo440.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Greek Skillet Pies With Feta and Greens
![Greek Skillet Pies With Feta and Greens](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/06/24/dining/24KITCH1/24KITCH1-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 3cups/375 grams all-purpose flour
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼cup olive oil
- 1½tablespoons white wine vinegar
- Cornstarch or rice flour, for dusting
- 8ounces/225 grams spinach or mustard greens, or a combination of cooking greens
- 1cup/30 grams chopped parsley
- ½cup/15 grams finely chopped fresh dill
- 1teaspoon dried Greek oregano
- Salt and pepper
- Maras pepper or crushed red pepper
- 1cup/120 grams crumbled feta cheese
- Olive oil, for brushing
For the Phyllo Dough
For the Filling
Preparation
- Step 1
Make the phyllo dough: Combine flour and salt in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook. Add olive oil, vinegar and ½ cup cold water. Mix at medium speed for about 5 minutes to obtain a smooth, soft dough. If the dough seems dry, add up to 3 tablespoons more water. Wrap in plastic film and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, make the filling: Blanch greens in salted boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain, rinse with cool water, squeeze dry and chop fine. In a small bowl, put chopped greens, parsley, dill, oregano, black pepper to taste, a pinch of crushed chile pepper and the feta. Mix with a fork to combine.
- Step 3
Give dough a quick knead and divide into 6 pieces. Dust dough with cornstarch or rice flour, then roll each piece of dough as thinly as possible, stretching gradually to a diameter of 16 inches. Alternatively, roll dough to the thinnest possible setting of a pasta machine. Cut each circle in half and dust pieces with cornstarch or rice flour and stack off to the side. Alternatively, roll dough to the thinnest possible setting of a pasta machine and make smaller pies.
- Step 4
Assemble the pies: Put a ridged stovetop grill or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. For each pie, lay 1 sheet phyllo on work surface and brush with olive oil. Cover half the sheet lightly with filling, using 3 to 4 tablespoons of mixture per pie. Fold over the other side and press down to seal pie. It will be a rough, very flat triangle shape.
- Step 5
Brush both exterior sides with olive oil, carefully lay pie on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and crisp (reduce heat as necessary). Flip pie and cook the other side for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and crisp. Remove and serve warm; cut into smaller pieces if desired. Continue to make pies with remaining ingredients.
- AND TO DRINK ... Add together the brisk bitterness of the greens, the sharp bite of the feta and the flaky texture of the phyllo dough, and the sum demands a dry, lively white or rosé. Greece is a good place to start: Assyrtikos from Santorini and moschofileros from the Peloponnese are natural partners. So are island whites from Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia, or whites and rosés from the Provençal appellation of Cassis. You wouldn’t go wrong with Sancerre or other dry sauvignon blancs from around the world, as long as they’re made in a leaner style. Nor would a straight-ahead Chablis be out of place. Same goes for tangy rosés from all over. If you insist on a red, perhaps a light, vibrant frappato from Sicily will work. And as is so often the case, fino sherry will do wonders. ERIC ASIMOV
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
There are chefs and there are pastry chefs. I am not the latter and this recipe turned into a rare culinary catastrophe. I wound up with a bunch of doughy dumplings and a kitchen strewn with pots, pans, bowls, boards, tongs, grills, rolling pins, and green bits of chopped vegetables all over the place. This is not a recipe for the poorly organized or those without a sympathetic connection to pastry. But, We Are Scientists, and to experiment is to nobly bear failure every now and then.
Thank you for injecting a note of humour into this. I contemplated just abandoning my house rather than the clean-up involved! A dear older friend, Greek by birth and a fantastic cook, raised her eyebrows when I described my adventure and commented, "Darling, why do you think I buy my phyllo ready made."
One hectic evening I made this using homemade flour tortillas. Excellent. Olive oil is crucial. I might add a bit of garlic next time.
I modified the recipe by skipping the phyllo and buying pita bread (the pocket kind) and stuffing the spinach mixture inside them. I toasted them in a cast iron skillet. Although I am sure the original recipe would be good, this version is very quick and much lower in fat.
Oh, c'mon, only crazy people make filo from scratch.
I made the phyllo dough according to the recipe and the pies were excellent. But with the substitution of pita pockets (thank you CD) this has now become a go-to meal when I'm short on time. I add mozzarella and goat cheese to the mixture (to cut the tartness of the feta), stuff the pitas, brush them with olive oil, and grill them in a ridged pan on the stove top. Quick and delicious!
I agree that using a phyllo dough AND grilling it is certainly chef overkill when you can buy phyllo dough almost everywhere. Using a bread dough as you suggest would certainly be an option, and a standard basic dough would work as well, even if the crispiness of phyllo is missing.
The filling, using mixed greens, is typical of Greek pies and is delicious.
Hysterical
I noticed a lot of people made substitutions for the Phyllo dough and greens. I, too, made some substitutions and it came out delicious. Instead of Phyllo dough I tried rye bread. And instead of the greens I used 80% Angus ground beef. With this combination I thought extra sharp cheddar cheese might work equally well as feta so I tried that. Mmm. As an added treat I topped it aff with ketchup after it was cooked. Next time I may experiment with topping it l off with sauteed mushrooms and bacon.
I used pita bread pockets, which makes this a really easy recipe. I altered the filling a bit the second time I made this, because I didn't like the parsley. Now I do the following: cook a bunch of spinach, then mix that with feta (and/or cottage cheese--got the idea to add that from a spanakopita recipe) and the spices. Make a slit in the side of a pita pocket, put the filling in the pocket through the slit, and then cook the filled pita in a frying pan. Done in only 5-10 mins!!!
Used store bought, frozen Phyllo dough, doubled up layers. Way too fragile to handle without tearing. Tasted good though. If I make it again will probably try making the dough so it is more managable.
The vinegar in the dough acts as a tenderizer.
Just tried this, used commercial phyllo instead of making it. That was a mistake, it was too fragile and brittle, so I made a hash out of it, not something you'd present to company. The flavor was wonderful, so I'll definitely give it another go, using my own phyllo. FYI I didn't add parsley, and used 10 oz of a 50/50 spring greens/spinach mix, and used Aleppo red pepper, ~ 1/2 tsp, which gave it a nice bite, I think just a pinch would have been lost.
Once you master making the phyllo, this is the tastiest pie ever. It takes a lot of practice with the dough but it is worth the effort. Greek pies are relatively healthier as fat is used very sparingly and the feta gives them the irresistible taste. This particular pie needs so very little olive oil, the greens and feta cheese combination makes it truly a culinary pleasure. The store bought phyllo will not do for this pie.
For those of us new to flatbread, it proved immensely valuable to practice with just the bread before including the filling. Greek filo, Bourak, or brik dough are very different to store bought commercial Phyllo dough and I wouldn't try it with this recipe for the grill.
For those of you who have difficulty rolling thin sheets, try resting the dough much longer or overnight --worked for me. A straight dowel is better than a standard rolling pin with handles.
This was a flavor fail. I made the dough using my lasagna attachment for my Kitchen Aid. The cooked dough was bland, boring… but the filling was just gross. Less parsley, add garlic and more feta. It doesn’t matter, the pie was just abysmal. What a disappointment.
Use pita bread
Wow. I will never again eat anything involving phyllo dough without saying a prayer of gratitude. My forearms will be sore tomorrow! Obviously, I am not normally a pastry chef or I would have known better. For all those reading this who have never made phyllo dough- this is 30 min of rolling. But, the end result was delicious, even in my novice hands. Will make again, maybe with a friend to trade off the rolling!
This was a huge hit in my household. Based on some of the comments, I used two 12oz tubs of spinach. I then added a bunch of dill and feta to taste. I also added a sautéed onion which did not add much to the dish and I would not bother to add onion in the future. I filled whole wheat pita breads with the mixture and cooked them In a cast iron skillet until crispy.
Fantastic. Took a cue from another note and let the dough sit for about six hours. No way to roll it to be paper thin, but the result was delicious. Filling: added a sautéed onion and garlic, and then (because we had it) chopped a jarfull of artichoke into the spinach/feta mix. LOTS of herbs in there too. Bottom line, it was delicious and will become a part of my regular rotation, with other fillings to be tested (for certain some hamburger at one point). Don’t be afraid of the dough.
Did NOT my my own pita, but if you grill store-bought in a skillet it's 90% as good with 1% of the fuss. I added a little bit of olive oil to the spinach/herbs mixture as it's kinda dry if you wring out too much water. A few other tips: Add the feta to taste as it can be quite salty, especially if you salt the blanching water. I stuff the pitas, then grill in a cast-iron skillet with a bit of oil, and weight them down -- it's essentially a panino. Definitely serve with a good tzatziki.
Just finished making this recipe on a dreary spring morning. I cooked from the fridge pantry with kale and had good quality feta. Excellent recipe! My dough required more water.to come together. I was not able to roll as thinly as the recipe and made more filling than called for, which still was not enough to use all the dough. I froze the remainder. I probably could have rolled it more thinly but elected to use my arm and core strength elsewhere today. All in all it's a keeper.
I made these using a half baked harvest flour whole wheat tortilla recipe. I couldn’t find phyllo dough unfortunately. They were amazing- I also added cilantro instead of parsley. Definitely making again!
Added tomato and onion, and a splash of cumin. Also skipped the phyllo and stuffed in pita crust, was okay
I totally cheated. Store bought phyllo and well drained frozen spinach. Took a project meal and turned it into an easy after work meal.
While this dough was a bit more challenging, it is worth trying. I let it sit at room temperature all day. Then I rolled it very thinly on rice flour and let them sit for a while. They were not hard to fold or handle, just be gentle. medium heat over a hot griddle worked out just fine. Don't use regular phyllo or just make a spanakopita. Was delicious with rose.
I read the comments about the dough so decided to mix it in my vitamix blender and that worked fine (just had to form it into a ball before wrapping). I sauted onions, garlic and the spinach in a skillet instead of blanching in water. I added lemon juice in with the herbs. It came out great! excellent for making ahead of time and freezing.
I used store bought phyllo - definitely shortened the cook time and it was no mess. I adapted the filling - added Greek yogurt and smashed chickpeas to add creaminess.
I wouldn’t make these again. I didn’t mind the mess or work, but it didn’t have much flavor. Add more salt, pepper, maybe lemon and garlic. They were just pretty boring.
The dough took a lot more water that indicated in the recipe to achieve a soft dough. I’ve worked with store bought phyllo dough many times, and there is no way that it would work in this application. This dough has strength; phyllo dough, as I know it, does not. It’s not what I would classify as pastry, it resembles an empanada dough. Anyhow, apart from adding probably 1.5 x more water to the dough, I made the recipe exactly and it was delicious and loved by everyone who ate it.
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