Back in 1993 - 1994, my two daughters Naia and Nathalia, and I took a sabbatical and were living on the island in Port Haina.

 

 

 

Here is a traditional spinach pie recipe unlike in Athens or Thessalonikki, where Phyllo dough is used.

 

CRETAN MINATURE SPINACH PIES

 

 

Yields: 2 dz. to 30 pieces  

PASTRY

 

140 grams or 1 cup all purpose flour sifted with 1/4 tsp. salt

2 tblsps Evoo

1 tblsp fresh lemon  juice

room temperature water 80 - 120 ml. ( 1/3 to 1/2 cup water )

 

SPINACH ONION FILLING

 

1 pound fresh spinach

8 oz. chard fresh or 250 grams ( collards, kale or additional spinach )

3 spring onions or 3 leeks minced finely or 4 or 5 shallots

fennel bulb: 1/2 cup finely sliced or Dill

2 tblsps Evoo . extra virgin olive oil Italian, Spanish or Greek

1 tsp cumin ground

salt and blk fresh peppercorn ground

a little Feta cheese crumbled or blue vein cheese of choice available

 

1. make a well in flour and fill it with Evoo, lemon juice and some of the water. With ur hands, adding water gradually, and knead until you obtain a firm dough

2. cover with cellophane and wrap & set aside for 45 mins to 1 hour

3. boil spinach in salted water with the chard; until both are tender

4. drain thoroughly thoroughly and when cool enough to handle and squeeze out water

5. In Evoo, sauté the onion and fennel or dill until tender

6. then mix all the veggies together in a large bowl and season

6. roll out dough as thin as you possibly can

7. cut into rectangles about 5 x 10 cm  Or  2 x 4 inches

8. put a tblsp of filling onto a half of the square of the dough, fold over and pinch the sides to seal, moisterning your Index Finger and run it around the edge of the square or press with a fork, and when you have finished you can fry in hot oil and serve right away or freeze the pies.

 

ENJOY ,,, these can also be dipped in a hot sauce or blue vein cheese or feta dressing

Margaux

 

 

One can employ broccoli, zucchini, eggplant with tomato and / or any green veggie of choice. Some ham and cheese of choice too ... Of course, this is a fairly traditional region of Greece and this is how Cretans have been surviving for aeons. They are one of the few races, that survived WWII ... The Cretans hid in the mountains in the middle of the island, and lived off orégano, herbs, ferns, rusks ( a barley thick biscuit ), wild greens and goat or ewe milk and feta ... There were no cattle on the island during the time we resided there. The main protein sources are lamb, pork and kid.

 

The Aegean and Libyan seas provide their daily catch, however, during the WWII, they avoided coastal regions and hid in the centre in the mountains, They are very large Orégano producers ... FAB ...

 

Thanks for your post, and have a nice August.

Margi

 

Of course during the 1940s, hardtimes brought a scant ration of products.

 

 

it looks easy .

i will try also to bake it.

 

I am very fond of Spanakopita too ... I love Phyllo stuffed pastries savoury or sweet ...

 

This has a completely different texture and taste ... However, delicious too ... A feta tzatziki for dipping could be lovely with these ...

 

My tzatziki is on the Greece Thread too ...

 

Do you like Falafel ?  I have a traditional recipe and photo which I placed when Nathalia my younger daughter was in Port Haifa on business.

 

Kind regards.

Margi.  

in my youth i was  in Haifa my sister and mouther in low are in Haifa.

 

Interesting ... Nathalia loved Haifa and Tel Aviv ... she had a marvelous time there ... She extended a business trip for 4 days 3 nites, to go to Tel Aviv & sight see Jerusalem ...

 

I like Falafel very much ... and in general Lebanese, Turkish, Syrian and Persian cuisines, and next to Italian, is Greek ... Child of the Mediterranean ... I like Moroccan and Tunisian cuisines too ...

 

Kind regards.

Margi.

I gorged myself on some Cretan delights while staying in Panormo in 2006.

Cretan Snails will haunt my memories forever

I simply adore regional Greek Cuisines.

These are delicious Gentlemen .. 

Have a lovely evening.

A sub for Spinach:  Swiss chard perhaps or Kale or any dark leafy veggie .. a cabbage variety perhaps ..