MEET SPANAKOPITA’S DELICIOUS SIBLING

ORACLE’S HORTOPITA

GREEK PHYLLO PIE WITH MIXED GREENS

Makes one 10” round hortopita

For the homemade phyllo:
• 300g all-purpose flour (or 300g Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup - ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup Oracle olive oil

For the filling:
• 1 kg (2.2 lb) washed greens, such as amaranth, spinach, mustard greens, arugula, or chard - any tough stems removed
• 1 red onion or 8 spring onions, finely sliced
• 200g (7 oz) feta
• 2 cups herbs, roughly chopped, such as dill, mint and parsley (feel free to use a mixture)
• ⅓ cup Oracle olive oil
• Black pepper
• Salt

Preparation

1. Make the phyllo: In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. In a measuring cup, stir together ½ cup water and ¼ cup Oracle olive oil, then make a well in the center of the flour and salt mixture and pour in the water and oil mixture. Use a spoon to incorporate, then switch to your hands. If the dough feels dry, add a bit more water until the mixture comes together, then knead until soft and smooth, about 10 minutes. Rest for at least 30 minutes before sheeting - this is a good time to make your filling.

2. For the filling, place your greens and onions in a large colander in the sink or over a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tbsp salt. This can be done in batches if all of the greens don’t fit in your colander. Use your hands to scrunch the greens and coat them with salt. This process will draw out the moisture and help your crust stay crisp. Let the mixture sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then give it a few more good scrunches to press out any remaining water. When ready, the greens should have wilted significantly and very little water should drip out when squeezed.

3. Transfer your greens mixture to a large bowl and stir in the feta, herbs, ½ tsp salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if necessary.

4. Preheat your oven to  375°F (190°C) and brush a 10” round baking dish generously with olive oil.

5. Roll out your phyllo: flour a work surface generously and if you have a pasta sheeter, use it to roll out your dough. Working with about ¼ of the dough each time you roll, start at the thickest setting and reduce the thickness each time you pass your dough through until you reach the 5th setting. If you don’t have a pasta sheeter, the dough can be rolled out by hand using a rolling pin to about ⅛” thickness, again working with ¼ of the dough each time.

6. As you roll, carefully place your sheets of phyllo into the prepared baking dish so that they lay flat along the bottom, are pressed up against the sides and the overhang drapes over the edges of the pan. If your sheets are very long, you might need to cut them in half before laying them in the pan. After adding each sheet, brush it with olive oil, then place another sheet overtop at a slightly different angle and brush with oil again. Repeat this process until the entire base of your pan is lined with overlapping phyllo - you may have some leftover dough that can be stored for one week in the fridge or frozen for up to 3 months.

7. Transfer the greens mixture into the phyllo-lined pan and fold the overhanging edges up and over the greens to cover the top. Ideally, the entire top will be covered but it’s okay if some of the greens poke through in the center.

8. Bake the hortopita for 40-45 minutes or until the phyllo is golden brown. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Note: store-bought phyllo can be substituted for homemade phyllo in this recipe!

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