Spanikopita
Why I Love This Recipe
I'm from Greek lineage so I'm pretty picky about my Spanikopita - this has taken me years to perfect.
Ingredients You'll Need
2 10-oz packages fresh spinach
1 T salt
1/2 lb feta
3 T grated parmesan
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
16 oz cottage cheese (sometimes I use ricotta)
several sprigs fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
3 eggs, beaten
1 lb filo dough
2 sticks butter
Directions
Wash spinach and drain. Cut spinach finely with kitchen scissors, place in bowl and sprinkle with salt. Rub salt into spinach and set aside for 15 minutes or longer. Rinse Feta cheese in cold water, drain well and crumble into a large bowl. Add parmesan cheese, onion, parsley, and dill. Then take handfuls of spinach, squeeze dry, and add to cheese mixture. pour olive oil over mixture and fold in eggs.
Unfold filo and cut so that you have sheets measuring approximately 8 x 13 inches (that's the pan size I use - it's my broiler pan). Cover sheets with a towel so they will not dry out. Brush each sheet as it is used with butter - I usually put eight down in the bottom of the pan brushed with butter. Then put the filling on top and then repeat with another eight sheets of filo brushed with butter. I use a razor blade to score the top layers in squares before I bake it - it makes it much easier to portion out when you are done. I lightly sprinkle some water before I bake on the top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes - basically until golden brown.