Who knew this dish had two T’s in it? I’ve always spelled it with just one.
This one intimidated me a little, thanks to my first use of puff pastry, but it turned out really well and was pretty delicious. One thing I’ll note is that you may want, after it’s baked, to sprinkle salt and cayenne pepper on top. It wasn’t quite salty enough for me, and I thought it needed some spice. But that’s your call.
Spanakopitta
Serves 8
Ingredients
2 lb. frozen spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained
1 onion, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more to brush on top of pastry
4 Tbsp. dill or parsley, finely chopped
4 eggs
8 oz. feta cheese
3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
Large pinch nutmeg
Pepper
Salt (optional)
Cayenne pepper (optional)
1 lb. filo pastry
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
First, make the filling. In a large saucepan, fry the onion and shallot in 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Add the spinach and dill or parsley and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool.
Beat the eggs lightly in a separate bowl. Add the feta cheese, mashed with a fork and the Parmesan cheese. Add the spinach mixture, drained of liquid, and pepper to taste. Stir well.
Brush a rectangular baking dish with oil. Place half the sheets of filo in the dish. Spread the filling evenly on top of this and cover with the rest of the filo, tucking down the edges to seal everything in.
Bake about 1 hour or until the pie is crisp and puffed up. Cut into squares or diamonds and serve.
