2 pk Frozen spinach (10 oz)
Salt, preferably sea salt
1 Onion, chopped
1 lb Fresh mushrooms, sliced
Olive oil
Butter
1 Clove garlic, minced
Ground pepper to taste
6 Eggs
1 c Feta cheese
1 c Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 c Chopped fresh parsley
1 ts Oregano
1/4 ts Dried rosemary (optional)
1/4 lb Butter
1 lb Filo dough
If you are using fresh spinach, wash the spinach and remove the tough
stems. Place in a large bowl and sprinkle heavily with salt. Rub the
salt into the leaves by taking them up, a bunch at a time, and
rubbing them between your hands; the volume of the spinach will
decrease before your eyes. Tear the spinach up as you do this. Rinse
the salt off thoroughly and dry the spinach, squeezing it in bunches
in a towel. (If you are using frozen spinach, just let it thaw and
squeeze out excess moisture).
Saute the onion and mushrooms in a little olive oil and butter with
the garlic and salt and pepper to taste. When both the onions and
mushrooms are tender, remove from the heat.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl and crumble in the feta cheese; add the
Parmesan, then the spinach, onions, and mushrooms. Stir in the
parsley, oregano, rosemary, some freshly ground pepper, and a little
salt (remember that the feta is very salty).
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Melt the butter and brush a 2-quart or 3-quart oblong baking pan with
it. Spread your filo dough out flat next to the pan. Take a sheet and
lay it in the pan, letting the edges come out over the pan. Take
another sheet and lay it on top of the first, not directly but in
such a way that its edges extend over different parts of the pan.
Brush with butter. Continue to layer the sheets of filo, brushing
every other one with butter and turning each one slightly so that the
edges fan out over the sides of the pan, until you have about eight
sheets left.
Now spread the spinach mixture evenly over the filo dough in the pan,
pushing it into the corners. Take the edges of the filo and fold
them in over the spinach mixture.
Take the remaining sheets of filo and layer them one by one over the
spinach mixture, again brushing every other sheet with butter, but
this time pushing the edges down into the sides of the pan. It is
difficult to do this neatly; just rumple the edges down into the
sides of the pan (they will form a nice crisp edge after baking).
Brush the top of the spanokopita with butter and make +-inch-deep
diagonal slashes across it with a sharp knife.
Bake for 50 minutes, until the crust is puffed up and golden; it will
shrink from the sides of the pan. Cut into squares or diamond shapes
and serve immediately.
Yields
1 Servings