Sunday, December 7, 2014

Spanakopita



Yesterday Margaret and Matthew gave a party to celebrate Hazel Nina’s first birthday, and Tom’s sixty-fourth birthday. Margaret asked Tom to make his specialty, spanakopita, and it shall be today's contribution to Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads.






                                                                       Spanakopita

1 box phyllo (from the dictionary - can be spelled 
filo pastry, phyllo, fillo) dough
This is what we always use
2 10-ounce packages of frozen chopped spinach
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
1 1/4 cups grated cheese. Tom used Cheddar, Parmesan, and Romano.
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup olive oil - more or less depending on how much you need to brush onto the phyllo dough

If your dough is in the freezer, remove it and put it in the refrigerator overnight. 
The next day unwrap and unroll the sheets so they are in a pile like a stack of paper.

Thaw spinach, and cook until tender. Drain and press to remove water.

Sauté onions in olive oil until tender, and then stir in cooked spinach until most of the moisture from the spinach has evaporated.

In a large bowl mix the cheeses. Add the spinach/onion mix. Add beaten eggs and mix well.

Grease 10-inch x 15-inch pan with olive oil.

Place 2 sheets of phyllo into the pan and using a pastry brush, brush lightly with olive oil. Repeat twice more until 6 sheets are on the bottom.

Put about a third of the cheese/spinach/egg mix on top, and spread it around. 

Then repeat whole process twice more.

Add two sheets of phyllo, brushed with oil, and then two more, brushed with oil for the very top.

Bake in preheated 375º F. oven until golden brown, about half an hour. 

This was a huge hit at the party!

19 comments:

  1. I adore spanakopita and can understand why it'd be a hit.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yum, this sounds so good!
    And happy birthday to Tom and Hazel Nina! Wow, that year went by very quickly!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yummm this sounds so good. I had never heard of it. I will have to give it a try.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd love you to let me know if you try it, and what you think.

      Delete
  4. One of my favorite dishes, Nan, and a wonderful meal for two very special birthdays

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anything with spinach "gets" me every time - and spanakopita is no exception!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have fond memories of my Greek-American college roommate bringing back spanakopita from visits home and all of us devouring it immediately. (we lived in a quad, so it didn't last long). Great recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's amazing how many foods have come to be familiar in the last few years - it's wonderful.

      Delete
  7. I love eating this, but have never made it myself. I always thought it seemed complicated, but you make it sound very easy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I'm so glad you told me. This is my goal with every recipe I post. I want it to be clear and easy for readers to make. I hope you will make some, and let me know how it turns out!

      Delete
  8. Oh yummy. Nan, we've eaten this in restaurants but had no idea how to do it. This would be a great main dish for Florida ... The usual comfort foods for fall don't quite seem right here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you make it! Let me know if you and your fella like it, okay?!

      Delete
  9. I've never had that before nor anything like it, but it looks and sounds delicious so I will give it a try. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete

I'll answer your comments as soon as I possibly can. Please do come back if you've asked a question.
Also, you may comment on any post, no matter how old, and I will see it.