Sorrel, Leek & Green Onion "Spanakopita"

It will likely be a while until I make something else with sorrel, because this left my 4 plants all looking pretty denuded, and they will need some time to recover.

I've commented before that sorrel seems so unpromising - big, coarse leaves, prone to slugs and snails. It turns brownish when cooked, and I'm not sure I've actually boiled it before - it got positively slimy and I admit to being slightly daunted. But I drained it well and persevered. As usual, the finished dish was completely delicious and everyone fell on it like they hadn't seen food in weeks.  Also as usual, I have to admit that the most likely way to be able to get sorrel is to grow it yourself. Same with the leeks, really; but you never know your luck at a farmers market.

You could replace the sorrel with spinach, and the juice of 1/2 lemon. You can also fiddle with the exact proportions of feta and ricotta/cottage cheese, in which case you will also need to fiddle with the amount of salt - as the feta goes up, the salt goes down. At the proportions given, I added about a quarter of a teaspoon. It might have taken just a bit more.

6 to 8 servings
1 hour 30 minutes - 45 minutes prep time
allow extra time to thaw pastry and cool finished "pita"

450 grams (1 pound) frozen filo pastry, thawed
450 grams (1 pound) fresh sorrel leaves
3 medium leeks
4 to 6 green onions
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large eggs
225 grams (1/2 pound) feta cheese
225 grams (1/2 pound) ricotta or pressed cottage cheese
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
about 1/3 cup mild vegetable oil

Thaw the filo in the refrigerator overnight.

Put a pot of water on to blanch the sorrel. Wash and pick over the sorrel well - soak it in well-salted water for 15 minutes to remove any guest, if you can. Cook it for 1 or two minutes in the boiling water, then drain it well. Let it cool. Chop it well and put it in a mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, wash, trim, slice, and wash the leeks again. Drain them well. Wash, trim, and chop the onions.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the leeks for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened but not browned. Add the onions and cook for another couple of minutes until they too are well wilted. Add them to the sorrel, and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Beat the eggs into the vegetables, then crumble in the feta and ricotta or cottage cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix well.

Brush a 9" x 13" lasagne pan with oil. Lay in a sheet of filo, brushed lightly with oil and folded to fit; add another until you have 2 or 3 layers of pastry. Put in about 1/6 of the filling and spread it out as evenly and as close to the edges as you can. Repeat with another layer of lightly oiled and folded filo sheets. Followed by another layer of thinly applied filling... you see where this is going... it keeps going... until the filling is all in and you finish with 3 or 4 layers of lightly oiled filo pastry.

Bake the pie for approximately 45 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Serve warm or at room temperature. Reheats fairly well, provided you do it in the oven and eschew the microwave.




Last year at this time - or actually the year before to be precise - I made Haskap Rhubarb Nectar. 

Posted in: Ontario Food