Spinach Pita Pockets.

The Greeks call this spinach pie "Spanakopita" and the Arabs (Lebanese) call it "Sabanekh". The Greeks use a phyllo pastry, stuff it with a spinach preparation along with some feta cheese and bake it. The Lebanese make this pie with all purpose flour, roll it out, stuff it with spinach filling (they do not use any cheese) and then bake it. I have used ready pita breads in this recipe and filled the pita bread with the spinach preparation. I have made it the Lebanese way without any cheese. So here is the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
Spinach. (Washed well and finely chopped. I have used 8 of those bunches shown below)

1 big onion (chopped in medium sized squares)

1-2 tbspn lemon juice.
Salt as per your taste.
1 tbspn Olive oil (and for brushing on the pita bread).
Ready Pita bread.

METHOD:
Heat oil.

Once the oil becomes hot add the onions.

Saute the onions on a medium to low flame till they become transparent.

Once the onions become transparent (do not over cook), add the spinach.

Saute till the spinach becomes soft (usually this does not take long) around 3-4 minutes.

Make sure there is no water in the spinach preparation. It should be dry. If there is any water cook it further to let all the water evaporate and then add salt as per your taste.

Add lemon juice. When you taste the spinach it should taste sour because once you stuff it in the pita the lemon taste will reduce. Hence add little bit of extra lemon juice. Here there has to be a right balance of the salt (add the right amount) and lemon(add a little extra) added.

Stir again so that the lemon and salt blend well.

Now cut open the pita bread (with a pair of scissors from around the circumference of the pita bread) and add a table spoon of the spinach filling inside each pita, flatten and spread the spinach filling well.

Heat a non stick pan. Add some oil.

When the oil becomes hot put the pita bread into the pan. Keep on low flame.

Brush the top side of the pita with some olive oil and flip it.

You can make them more crispier (keep them longer on the pan on low flame) if your family likes the crunch or just serve them once they are warm enough.

You can add some chopped olives, some jalapenos, pickled gherkin and/or crumble some feta cheese or cottage cheese when you are filling the pita with spinach. Though I made the very basic one (only with the spinach filling) it was still very delicious! Whichever one you decide to make I am sure you are gonna love it too!



“Your body is a temple, but only if you treat it as one.” ~Astrid Alauda