I have a facebook page. And on this facebook page I have friends who post recipes. One friend posted a recipe for spanakopita. In our multicultural, international cuisine kind of world ,I know you will find it shocking but, I have never had spanakopita. I didn't even know it existed. ...Until the friend posted a recipe for it and a photo. I kept looking at it and going back to her page to find it, which was like digging for treasure because she posts prolifically. This speaks volumes for the quality of the photo that accompanied the recipe. I'm not one of those folks that sees a picture of food and then MUST eat. But this little Greek pie looked so appetizing that I had to make it. Its made with phyllo dough so, after work yesterday, I stopped at the grocery store and dug through the freezer section until I found it because , if I had to make the dough , it wouldn't get done.
What's the point of this story ? When one is trying a whole new thing in the kitchen.....one should thoroughly read the recipe and directions. I read the part about buttering the dough. I buttered the bottom and the top. Somehow I missed the part about buttering each thin layer of dough. I carefully mixed the pie ingredients to the exact proportions and put them in the dish lined with phyllo, then covered them with phyllo, then buttered the top. I put it in the oven on the required temp and left it the required time. When I pulled the work of art out of the oven I called Jimmy into the kitchen to stand with me and admire the beauty of my creation. We cut huge slices and sat down at the table ready to enjoy my masterpiece. I was all smiles and puffed up kitchen pride and then we took the first bite. It was like eating layer after layer of ...copy paper. The lesson I took away from this? Its was a very simple one. Read the recipe... dumbass. Yep, that's the big reveal. That's the moral of the story. Read the recipe.
You would think ,as someone who posts recipes and directions regularly, I would have that simple part of the equation down. Nope!
For anyone else who might like to try it, here is the link to the recipe.
http://12tomatoes.com/2014/02/dinner-recipe--spanakopita.html
What's the point of this story ? When one is trying a whole new thing in the kitchen.....one should thoroughly read the recipe and directions. I read the part about buttering the dough. I buttered the bottom and the top. Somehow I missed the part about buttering each thin layer of dough. I carefully mixed the pie ingredients to the exact proportions and put them in the dish lined with phyllo, then covered them with phyllo, then buttered the top. I put it in the oven on the required temp and left it the required time. When I pulled the work of art out of the oven I called Jimmy into the kitchen to stand with me and admire the beauty of my creation. We cut huge slices and sat down at the table ready to enjoy my masterpiece. I was all smiles and puffed up kitchen pride and then we took the first bite. It was like eating layer after layer of ...copy paper. The lesson I took away from this? Its was a very simple one. Read the recipe... dumbass. Yep, that's the big reveal. That's the moral of the story. Read the recipe.
You would think ,as someone who posts recipes and directions regularly, I would have that simple part of the equation down. Nope!
For anyone else who might like to try it, here is the link to the recipe.
http://12tomatoes.com/2014/02/dinner-recipe--spanakopita.html
Filo is tough to work with, in my experience, even when you HAVE read the recipe thoroughly! We prefer puff pastry here....
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