“These spinach and cheese turnovers are served across the entire island of Crete, and are widely popular in the city of Chania, near where my mother was born and raised. Being very old-fashioned, she always rolled her own dough, never used store-bought dough or the very popular phyllo dough that you can find in the frozen section of the supermarket. And when she didn’t have feta cheese in the house, I remember her using whatever cheese she did have — and boy, did they still taste amazing! Every time I make these kalitsounia, it takes me back to the pure enjoyment of eating them hot and fresh out of the pan, and to my sweet mother who so lovingly made them for us. I can now appreciate how she was connecting us all to our Cretan heritage and keeping it alive through her amazing cooking.” — Zographia (Zoe) Pusic, Raleigh
DOUGH:
5 cups all-purpose flour (or as much as it takes for a soft, pliable dough)
1⁄2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 1⁄2 cups warm water
FILLING:
1 pkg (5–8 oz) fresh spinach, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb feta cheese, crumbled
2 eggs
1 cup olive oil
pepper
a few dashes of nutmeg oil for frying
1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in the olive oil and mix well. Pour in the warm water slowly, mixing well. You should have a medium soft dough. Knead well on a floured surface until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. While the dough is in the refrigerator, prepare the filling. Combine the chopped spinach, chopped onion and feta together, adding the two eggs, oil, nutmeg and pepper. Mix well.
3. Roll the dough out thinly on a lightly floured surface and cut into 4-inch circles. Place 1 tablespoon of filling on each circle of the dough, fold in half and pinch the edges together using the back of a fork.
4. Continue until all the dough and filling have been used up. Fry in the oil on medium heat until browned on each side, 2–3 minutes.
5. You can also bake the kalitsounia instead of frying them. Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 20–25 minutes.
Photo by Jenn McKinney Photography