SEPHARDIC COOKING; MARK
~Jewish, Turkish
1 1/2 lb Fresh spinach
3 Eggs, beaten
1/2 ts Salt
1/8 ts Pepper
1/4 c Matzoh meal
4 Sheets matzoh
Water, cold
2 tb Oil
1 tb Walnut, chopped
1. Wash the spinach well to remove sand and drain it. Coarsely chop the
stems and leaves. Mix with the eggs, salt, pepper, and matzoh meal. Set
aside
2. Moisten the sheets of matzoh with cold water, just enough to soften but
not so much that they break up.
3. Rub a heatproof glass or metal baking dish, about 9x6x2″, with all but
1 teaspoon of the oil. Put 2-1/2 sheets of the moist matzoh — big enough
to turn up around the edges — on the bottom of the dish. Add the spinach
mixture and cover with remaining 1-1/2 sheets of the matzoh for the pie
cover. Brush with the reserved 1 teaspoon of oil and sprinkle the walnuts
over the top. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 30 minutes.
Serve warm, cut into generous squares or triangles.
VARIATIONS:
1. Mix 1/2 pound ground beef with the spinach, eggs, salt, pepper, and
matzoh meal, and proceed as above.
2. Or chop 1/4 pound farmer cheese and 1/4 pound of feta cheese. Mix this
with the spinach, eggs, salt, pepper, and matzoh meal, and proceed as for
the spinach pie. This cheese dish could be (but is not, traditionally)
eaten during Passover, but it is usually prepared for other days.
In my opinion, substituting sheets of matzoh in place of the fragile sheets
of fillo (which are not kosher for Passover) is ingenious. It results in a
different taste and is an admirable solution for the kosher kitchen.
Yields
8 Servings