Our friend Christa loves to experiment with new dishes. So whenever we get together, in her house or ours, it’s almost always something new that one of us has put together and is eager to share with the other.

It is of great help ofcourse that both our husbands love food, and both have a “forgiving palate”, a good feature to lighten up our sometimes failed experimentations.

This one right here is a great success, impressive looking, and really easy to make. I have no doubt that you will love it as much as we do.

What makes this pie different from the traditional Greek Spanakopita, is 1) the pastry: puff pastry instead of filo, and 2) the cheese: Anthotiro instead of just feta. Also 3) the spinach is used fresh instead of cooked and drained.

I loved the use of Anthotiro because the cubes stay almost intact after cooking, and easy to see in the final product, instead of being crumbled into the mixture. When the pie is sliced, hot or cold, it is very pretty looking. 

So back to the star ingredient “Anthotiro”. 

This cheese is made from sheep or goat milk, or a mixture of both. It can be fresh like Misitra, or dry also like Misitra.

The version used in this recipe is dry Anthotiro.

Ingredients:

1 sheet defrosted puff pastry (400 grs)

4 pieces sundried tomatoes preserved in liquid, chopped small

2 small scallions chopped small

180 grs anthotiro cut in cubes

80 grs crumbled feta

80 grs grated parmesean

125 grs fresh spinach chopped

1 beaten egg for brushing

black sesame to sprinkle on top

Method:

Spread the pastry sheet

sprinkle the ingredients evenly one at a time

start with the sundried tomatoes, the scallions, the anthotiro, the feta, the spinach, ending with the grated parmesean

roll the pastry carefully, tucking in as you go along

pinch and seal the seam with your fingers

close the two ends the same way, by pressing together with your fingers

turn carefully on a baking sheet making sure the seam is down

brush with the egg

sprinkle the black sesame

make slits with a sarrated knife marking where you would slice later

bake in a preheated 180C oven for 40 mns

let cool before slicing