Recipe - Kol Burek mi Spinaq (Mini Spinach Pie)

Burek means pie, but savory pie not a sweet one.  Spinaq means spinach.  Kol referes to the shape of these cute little hand pies.

These were the appetizers.  I got the idea to make them small from this site, but I got the filling from another site.  Whirling these all took over an hour and a half.  Right after I made them I swore that I would never make it again, but after I ate them, I changed my mind.  They were really good.  I've had Greek style spinach pies before which are pretty similar to a standard burek.  The spirals of these made the filo very tender and not crumbly flaky like filo tends to be.

Older kids might enjoy helping to make these.  But they need to have good patience and the abilty to work quickly as filo can be persnickety.  I would say at least 10 and maybe older depending on the kid.  Although, I'm sure even the youngest Master Chef Junior contestant could handle it, so, use your judgement.

There are two things to make, the filling and the egg/milk wash.  You could make the filo too, but working with the crazy thin sheets were a big enough complication.  I can't imagine the time required to make it.  That's saying a lot because I really like making stuff from scratch.

Tips for dealing with filo dough:

1. We want the sheets to stay slightly moist.  Too dry and it rips, too wet and it gums together and the sheets won't separate.
2. Plan ahead and thaw the filo in the fridge the night before you need it.  Otherwise it might get gummy and will be more likely to stick together.
3. Before you open the filo package, have all parts of your assembly ready.  
4. Get a kitchen towel very slightly damp, wring out as much of the water as you can.  Place one beneath the filo and the other on top.  As you use filo, replace the top towel
5. Be quick.  Time is of the essence.

Okay, let's get to the food!

Kol Burek mi Spinaq 

Filling

Ingredients

• 1 lb frozen spinach (I used about 13 oz fresh, but it would have been easier and cheaper to use frozen)
• 8 scallions, white parts, chopped
• 6 eggs
• 1 lb small curd cottage cheese
• 2 T Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Saute the spinach until wilted or not frozen.  Remove.  
2. Saute the scallions.
3. Beat the eggs, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt.
4. Mix with the scallions and spinach.

Egg/Milk Wash

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Mix together

Dough

1 1/2 package of filo dough

Assembly

1. Lay down some parchment paper on a cookie sheet (I used my silicone pastry mat).
2. Take two sheets of philo dough and brush the top sheet with some of the wash.
3. Take about 1 T of the filling and spread it very thinly along one of the long ends of the filo sheet.
4. Roll the sheet into a tube, then spiral the tube.  Place on cookie sheet.  I didn't give mine room between the Kols, but you can if you like crsipy edges.  
5. Try to be careful as the filo can rip very easily. 
6. Keep going until you run out of dough, wash or filling (in chemistry we would call this the limiting reactant).
7. Bake at 400 for 45 minutes.  I baked this and the Leek Pie together.

References

• http://momwhats4dinner.com/leek-burek/
• http://www.marthastewart.com/349724/spinach-pie-byrek-mi-spinaq
• http://www.thekitchn.com/techniques-how-to-work-with-ph-77437
• http://www.finecooking.com/articles/working-phyllo-dough.aspx