Spanakoptia
This recipe is often used in my family for extended family dinners, holidays, and any time I need to contribute to a cover-dish meal. If you haven't ever used phyllo, do not be intimidated by it.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 1 sleeve/tube of thawed phyllo dough
- 5 eggs
- 24 oz of feta cheese (I use store brand or Athenos)
- 30-32 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed with water pressed out
olive oil
After spinach has thawed, put in a colander, put a plate on top of the spinach, and place a large bowl filled with water on the plate to press any water and fluid out of the spinach. I allow 1-2 hours for this.
Assembly (allow about 15 minutes)
Chop onion and saute' in olive oil.
In a large bowl combine drained spinach, onion, feta, and five eggs. Stir until thoroughly combined.
Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray.
Unroll phyllo dough (do not put on counter where a ceiling fan or ac/heating vent will blow on it-the sheets will dry out quickly).
Place 2-3 sheets in dish, drizzle or brush with olive oil. Repeat until 1/3 of sheets are in dish. Don't worry if the sheets tear.
Put 1/2 of spinach mixture on phyllo, distributing evenly.
Repeat phyllo and then spinach.
Put last 1/3 of phyllo sheets on top of spinach.
Using a very sharp knife, cut diagonally through all layers in diamond shapes. Drizzle olive oil across top.
Bake
Bake in a 350 oven 1-1 1/4 hour until golden brown and spinach mixture looks firm (cover with foil towards end of cooking time if the top is golden but requires a little more time).
Remove from over and run knife through previous cuts to make it easier to serve. Serve warm.
If you have any leftover, store in a tightly covered container. It will reheat in the oven at 350, or can be microwaved at a low power until warm (my experience is that the phyllo does better at less than high power).
