«spanako-tiro-pita» orthodox easter roll

• *note : you will require silicon molds to freeze the 2 different sizes of tiropita & spanakopita pucks; a silicon mold with smaller openings of 4 cm in diameter x 2 cm high and a silicon mold with larger openings of 6 cm in diameter x 4 cm high, so that the smaller frozen pucks, even when doubled up, fit inside the larger one …

tiropita mixture :

• combine the crumbled feta, ricotta, eggs, ground pepper, semolina and fresh herbs together and mix well, then transfer to the smaller silicon mold with smaller openings (4 cm x 2 cm), smooth out the top surface and freeze the pucks until solid
• *note : my silicon mold has 15 openings but I needed 16 pucks, so I froze the first batch of 15 pucks and then I froze the 16^th puck separately …
• when the tiropita pucks are solid, lay out 1 layer of thicker filo or 2 layers of thinner filo sheets, brush lightly with the melted butter and olive oil mixture, in between the sheets and on the outsides of the sheets and slice into 4 cm strips, by dividing up the long side of the filo sheets into 8 strips (use more sheets if not long enough, depending on their size)
• *note : thinner filo sheets come in different sizes and thicknesses, they could measure 32 x 29 cm each or 40 cm x 36 cm; they also exist in different thickness, such as 23 rectangular sheets for 500 grams or 13 square sheets for 500 grams, use your judgement for how thick the wrapping will be and cut the filo sheets accordingly …
• combine 2 frozen tiropita mixture pucks together, so you have a cylinder of 4 cm in diameter and 4 cm long and roll them up in the 4 cm wide buttered and oiled filo sheets and then set aside until all 8 are done and freeze the assemblies until solid again (the filo wrapping thickness around the assembled pucks should be 2-3 mm)

spanakopita mixture :

• chop up the green onions and/or leeks and thicker stems of the spinach leaves thinly and simmer in the olive oil at medium high heat until tender, then add the chopped spinach leaves, lower the heat to medium, mix and cover with a lid until wilted for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and let cook for another 5 minutes to evaporate any extra liquid, remove from the heat, add the salt, pepper and fresh herbs, (if the mixture is still too liquid, you can strain it in a cheesecloth to remove the extra water before adding the eggs, cheese), mix well and then set aside until completely cooled and then combine with the crumbled feta and beaten eggs and semolina and set aside

tiropita & spanakopita puck assembly :

• use the silicone mold with the larger 8 cavities measuring 6 cm x 4 cm and place the doubled-up and filo-wrapped tiropita pucks in the middle and surround with the spanakopita mixture until the openings are full and even and freeze until solid
• *note : you will have 8 pucks in total, measuring 6 cm x 4 cm each; use 4 pucks per roll for 2 smaller rolls (16 cm long before final wrapping in filo or all 8 pucks for a very long roll (32 cm long before final wrapping in filo) …

roll assembly :

• brush the 1^st sheet of filo (whether it’s thinner or thicker) with the melted butter and olive oil mixture and cut into squares and strips to wrap up the 4 pucks that will be the 2 end pieces of the 2 smaller rolls or the 2 pucks for the single longer roll, leaving one inside surface or flat side uncovered (where the puck will meet up with another puck) and the outside ends and curved side well covered too
• *note : if we base ourselves on the assembled tiropita and spanakopita pucks measuring 6 cm in diameter and 4 cm high, then cut at least 4 filo squares of 15 cm x 15 cm each and 2 strips of 4 cm x 20 cm per covered puck required; you will wrap several layers of the filo squares around one flat side and the curved side of each pack and then wrap the longer strips around the curved side to secure everything into place … you will need 2 pucks each (or 4 pucks total) for 2 smaller rolls (like in my photos) or only 2 covered pucks for a long double length roll … 
• line up the pucks of the assembly (2 with covered ends and the rest completely uncovered) onto 1 sheet of filo, brush with melted butter and olive oil and roll until wrapped and repeat 3 more times (with thinner filo) or 2 more times (with thicker filo) until thicker and well wrapped into a log shape
• place the fresh herbs on the last half of the 5^th sheet (of thinner filo) or the 4^th sheet (of thicker filo), also brushed with melted butter and olive oil and then roll the assembly until tightly wrapped, brush with more melted butter and olive oil and chill in the refrigerator or freeze for later (the filo wrapping thickness should be 5 mm)
• *note : if freezing everything or half for later, freeze the uncovered roll until solid, then when frozen, wrap in baking paper and place inside a freezer bag until ready to use but let the roll thaw in the refrigerator for several hours before baking …

baking :

• preheat the oven to 200°C for 10-15 minutes
• place the chilled roll (if frozen, the roll must thaw in the refrigerator for 6 hours before baking) on a baking tray covered with baking paper, place inside the oven and bake for 45 minutes (if 10-15 minutes before the end of the baking time, the top surface gets too dark, loosely cover with a sheet of baking paper to protect it from burning)
• remove from the oven, let cool down for 10 minutes and carefully slice into 4-6 thick slices and serve warm with a salad.