Preparation time: 11/2 hours (includes 45 minutes of cooking time)
Serves: 8
- 1 Pound Fresh Spinach, cleaned coarsely chopped
- 3 Scallions, finely sliced
- 1 Medium Leek (pale green and white portion), cleaned and finely sliced
- 4 oz Softened Cream Cheese
- 4 oz Feta Cheese, finely crumbled
- 3 Eggs
- 2 tbs. Victoria Taylor’s Sicilian Seasoning
- Light or Pure Olive Oil (about 1/3 cup)
- Filo Dough (part of one box)
Remove the Filo from the freezer and ignore the directions on the box. Remove the filo from the box, discard the plastic covering and cover the filo with a clean, dry cloth. Preheat the oven to 425°. Now clean and prepare the spinach, patting it dry with a paper towel. Combine the uncooked Spinach, scallions, leek, cheeses, eggs, seasoning, and 3 Tablespoons of the olive oil in a bowl. Select a 9×12 inch baking pan and lightly brush the bottom with olive oil.
The (dreaded) Filo:
Lay it out flat and cut 5 pieces of the filo (one or 2 at a time) to fit the pan. One whole sheet of filo from the package is usually enough to make 2 layers in a 9×12 inch pan. Place the sheets in the pan and pat gently. Ignore any minor tears in the filo and through away any uncooperative sheets. You have plenty. Spread half of the spinach mixture on the filo and top with a single sheet of filo. Spread the remaining half of the spinach mixture in the pan and top with 5 more layers of filo. Brush the top of the pie lightly with olive oil. Bake for 45 minutes. It will be lightly browned on top.
Recipe Notes and Serving Suggestions: One of my favorite meals is Spanakopita with Tomato, Cucumber and feta salad (see recipe). Both dishes are based on time tested recipes brought to this country from Agrinion, Greece courtesy of my best friend’s Grandmother.
