Greece holds a special place in my heart. The year our first child was born, my husband and I took a trip to Athens, Santorini, and Mykonos for my birthday and “push present” (yes, as in the reward for pushing out a baby).

We went in early September, and I remember the brazen sun, endless blue skies and alabaster clouds. It inspired flights of fancy and poetic musings on lands touched by the Ancient and the New. Not only was Mythology a subject that surfaced a lot during our week of island-hopping, but also the Hellenic culinary heritage that was discussed thoroughly. Souvlaki, saganaki, taramosalata, pastitsio, moussaka, kolokassi, loukoumades, and bourekia were topics of interest and debate, but the spanakopita was almost an obsession. I could often be found sampling local foods during whenever we travel, but needless to say, there were plenty of spanakopitas tested – then and now.

A couple of years later from that trip, we ended up living in a predominantly Greek neighbourhood in a rather rough-around-the-edges enclave in East Toronto. We enjoyed our community there, as we were always a short walk or ride away from a raucous taverna or a traditional bakery, reminiscent of the ones we visited around Greece. Our neighbours had names like Kostas, Christos, Vasiliki, and Menina, and we were often greeted with a friendly “yasou!” wherever we went. The annual Greektown summer food festival, “Taste of the Danforth“, had always been a highlight for us as well.

Near where we lived, I remember a certain bakery called Akropolis. It’s one of the few places in Toronto where you can still buy fresh, homemade phyllo sheets. They also make a mean spanakopita (little spinach pie) – probably one of the best in the city.

Making fresh phyllo sheets is practically a lost art in our modern world. Very few people or artisans make them anymore because it is a very tedious job that requires special handling skills and exceeding patience. Most people buy their phyllo sheets at the frozen section of the supermarket, but there is really nothing wrong with that. Not all of us have the time to make phyllo from scratch. Nowadays, the quality of commercial phyllo is more than acceptable for most purposes.

So, enough talking and let’s start making! This Spanakopita recipe is a hybrid of the one I found in “The Essential New York Times Cook Book” by Amanda Hesser and from “Falling Cloudberries” by Tessa Kiros, along with information gathered through numerous chats with the owner-operators of Athens Bakery and Akropolis Bakery in Toronto. It’s interesting to note that the New York Times recipe came from the Anagnostou family in Manhattan, who owns Poseidon Confectionary Company.

What about you, do you like Greek food? Which Greek foods do you enjoy?

Kung Hei Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year (2012 is Year of the Water Dragon)! I apologize for not posting a Chinese-themed recipe, but with the new baby and all…it’s been quite hectic here in our household! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this Greek-themed snack!

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Tagged as: Folie a Deux, food, food styling, Greece, Greek, recipe, savoury, starter, travel, vegetarian

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