Despite my interest in a chicken dish for last night’s Greek Easter theme, I found that I just wasn’t that inspired by any of the recipes I found. So instead I found a recipe that just makes me think Greek cooking — Spanakopita.
The filling is super simple, with spinach, eggs, feta cheese, onion and parsely. The tricky part is the phyllo (fillo) dough. It’s the first time I’ve worked with it and I was fine layering it on the bottom and in the middle, but the top layers seemed to curl away from the edges. I had to tear it to fit the pan and that caused some confusion at times. The good thing is I know the newsroom crew will eat it no matter what it looks like! And indeed, it got rave reviews, even garnering appreciation from someone who had declared his distaste for feta cheese without realizing it was in what he was eating!
I got the recipe from a site called My Greek Kitchen Great site except for the Greek music playing in the background.
Spanakopita
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. Fresh spinach OR 10 oz.frozen spinach
2 T Olive Oil or butter (for saute)
1 Large yellow onion, finely chopped
1/3 lb. Feta cheese
2 T Fresh parsley, finely chopped
6 T Flour
18-20 Phyllo sheets
3 Cubes Butter, salt-free (for brushing phyllo)
4 Eggs
PREPARATION
FRESH SPINACH: Rinse and stem the spinach, chop into small pieces or tear into shreds. Drain well to thoroughly dry. In a large saute pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil or melt the butter. Add the spinach and chopped onions and saute until the spinach wilts and cooks down, approximately 5-minutes. Transfer to a sieve and drain well; set aside in large mixing bowl. FROZEN SPINACH: Thaw thoroughly, drain real well. Squeeze/press the water from it. Place in large mixing bowl. In medium pan, saute the onions until translucent; add to bowl containing thawed spinach.
FETA CHEESE: Feta comes packed in brine, so you’ll want to give it a quick rinse under cold water. Let it drain on a paper towel for a couple minutes. Then you can crumble it into the bowl containing the spinach and onions. Add the flour, chopped parsley and eggs; mix thoroughly.
PAN METHOD
Melt the 3 cubes of butter (low heat; don’t let it bubble). Brush the 9″ x 13″ baking pan with olive oil or melted butter.
Lay 6 phyllo sheets in the pan, lightly brushing each with oil or melted butter before adding the next layer. Brush all the edges first since that is where drying will begin. Spoon half of the spinach mixture over the top of the phyllo and carefully spread evenly to within about 1/2 inch of the edges. Lay 6 more phyllo sheets on top, brushing each one with oil or melted butter before adding the next layer. Spread the remaining spinach mixture over the top. Finish off with the remaining sheets of phyllo, brushing each as previously done.
Cover and chill for about 30 minutes to set. Bake until golden, about 30-minutes. Test by inserting a table knife to the center. If it comes out relatively clean, your spanakopita is done. Don’t let this go beyond golden brown. Let cool for 5 to10-minutes to set, then cut into squares. The flavor of Spanakopita is enhanced when served warm; it’s even better at room temperature.
