1.30.2012

Spanakopita


A slice of pizza, pita bread wedges, a slice of pie or cake, a tea sandwich...What is it about triangle foods which makes us gravitate towards them?   Would you eat a Doritos chip if it was round? [gasp]  Even a samosa, which is more tetrahedral, is still in the highest tier of the triangle...pyramid.  See how all of this geometry is quickly getting out of control?

Triangle foods.  Why must we insist that the pointiest and most dangerous corner should lead the trajectory into our mouth? Have you ever bitten the blunt side first? Only to experiment. Like standing in the elevator with your back to the door. Be juvenile. 

Everything about triangles should steer us away from them, not attract.  That's why it's shaped that way - to resemble the head of an arrow, directing us away.  The words 'isosceles' and 'hypotenuse' alone are enough to scare toddlers and bad spellers. (And can i just add that it is no coincidence that the greek word, Hypotenuse, sounds a lot like "High: pot-in-use".  (?)   Pythagoras took some study breaks in his little dorky math lab.  I'm just sayin'.  ...rolling some doobies on stone tablet.  Stoner.  Yeah.  Consider me your new History Channel and I'm your chief Etymologist. 









Spanakopita
recipe by rabbit food rocks
makes 30 triangles

I love Spanakopita as a heavy snack or light lunch.  The flavors are simple and mild, which makes it kid-friendly too.  Feta is too much of a salty bite for me, so I use tofu as a lighter alternative.  You might have purchased a block of tofu and thought, "Now what am I going to do with you?"  This is it.

Ingredients:

14 oz extra firm tofu, drained well
1/2 medium yellow onion, quartered
2 shallots
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 lb baby spinach
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 T. cornstarch
4 T butter or vegan butter, melted
1/2 package of phyllo sheets (20 sheets), thawed well (according to directions)

Directions:

1.  In a food processor, finely pulse garlic cloves and shallots.  Scrape the work bowl down and pulse again.  Add onion and spinach (spinach in batches if needed) and salt and pepper.
2.  Empty food processor contents into a large mixing bowl and use hands to crumble tofu finely.  You can put the tofu in the food processor too, but then I'll say you're no fun...at all.
3.  Mix 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch with a teeny weeny bit of water to make it into a paste.  Add it to the mixing bowl and mix well.
4. Preheat conventional oven or toaster over to 350.  GENTLY unroll the phyllo sheets.  Keep the sheet stack covered with a damp towel.  Lay one sheet on your work surface and lightly brush the entire sheet with butter or vegan butter.  Lay another sheet on top of that one, as evenly as possible, without being OCD about it. 
5.  Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut the phyllo pair into thirds, lengthwise.  Take a healthy Tablespoon of the tofu-spinach mixture and place it at the top.  Fold one of these top corners to meet the opposite edge, keeping the mixture contained.  Continue folding this like the American flag.  Brush top and bottom sides with butter again before placing on a baking sheet.
6.  Prepare all 10 pairs of sheets to yield 30 triangles.  Bake for 17 mins or until edges brown.
7.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Reheat on lowest heat in the toaster oven if necessary.

16 comments:

  1. this looks awesome! i cant wait to try it!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Roshani!! Let me know what you think if you do end up making it!

      Delete
  2. I must make these! My Grandma used to make them for me all the time. She knew I loved them, but what she didn't realize was that I was emptying them of their filling and just eating the phyllo- the idea of cheese coming from a goat just never sat well with me. These look really great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! I love the clever tricks with play as kids. :)

      Delete
  3. I've eaten spanakopita many times but have never actually made it! I really should. And I love how you used tofu in it. I might do a mix of half tofu half feta.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A mix would be even better! Let me know how it turns out!

      Delete
  4. Heather L in AustraliaJanuary 31, 2012

    This looks great... I make Spanokopita often with feta/ricotta/parmesan...But tofu is a great idea esp. for my vegan friends. I use olive oil instead of butter for brushing file sheets, and I also try and add a couple tablespoons of freshly chopped dill if it's in the garden too. Delicious! Will be trying this variation for sure! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love all of your ideas! Olive oil, and ricotta! dill or spring onions would be a nice addition too! Thanks for commenting all the way from down under! :) My BFF moved to Perth.

      Delete
  5. Looks good Amee!!!!!!!!!! Miss you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. So many delicious vegan recipes here...

    Thank you so much or sharing vegan recipes, which is good or health and the environment.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am so glad to read this and I will make for my party. looks good, healthy and most importent is fast. thanks

    ReplyDelete
  8. High: pot in use! Hee hee! Your filling looks pretty herbivorous so maybe that's not such a stretch.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousJuly 31, 2013

    Cannot wait to make this, yum! And there are pictures for those of us who need a lot of help, lol.
    Thank you!

    Michelle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha! Great michelle! I found that the sizing depends on the brand for this one. Athenos divides into two and other brands divide into 3...

      Delete

Thanks for posting a comment! Check back soon for my reply!