Spanakopita
Spinach-feta-egg filling encased between layers of crispy phyllo
Equipment
- 1 baking pan 13" x 9"
- 1 pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Fresh, triple-washed baby spinach
- ¼ lb. feta finely diced
- 2 bunches green onions chopped
- 1 bunch fresh dill chopped
- ½ c. chopped fresh Italian parsley chopped
- 4 eggs beaten
- ½ c. unsalted butter melted
- ½ c. + 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
- ½ lb. frozen phyllo dough defrosted overnight in refrigerator
- ½ c. Panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Mix melted butter with olive oil and set aside.
- In large pot, heat 2 T. olive oil until shimmering.
- Sauté green onions in olive oil until soft. Remove pot from heat.
- In a small bowl, combine beaten eggs, dill, parsley, and feta; stir gently until well mixed.
- Add fresh spinach to green onions in pot and stir gently until thoroughly combined.
- Add the egg mixture to the spinach mixture in the pot and stir gently to mix.
- Using a pastry brush, brush pan lightly with butter-olive oil mixture.
- Carefully place one sheet of phyllo over the baking pan so that about ¼ of the pan is covered; one corner should be completely covered and there should be a 2-3" overhang of phyllo (on the long side and short side of the pan). Brush this sheet gently with butter-olive oil mixture.
- Place a second, third, and fourth sheet of phyllo so that each corner is covered with 2-3" of phyllo overhanging the sides. Gently brush each sheet of phyllo with butter-olive oil mixture as it is placed. (Make sure to brush the phyllo on the bottom of the pan and up the sides of the pan.)
- Sprinkle 1-2 T. Panko over phyllo sheets in pan.
- Place 4 more sheets of phyllo in pan, working one corner of the pan at a time, and gently brushing each sheet with butter-olive oil mixture; sprinkle these sheets with 1-2 T. Panko.
- Repeat this step again (including sprinkling with Panko).
- Evenly distribute spinach mixture over phyllo sheets in pan.
- Carefully fold one layer of phyllo "overhang" (on each side of the pan) over spinach mixture. Lightly brush the folded-over-edges with butter-olive oil mixture.
- Place one sheet of phyllo over spinach mixture, so that sheet is centered in pan. Lightly brush with butter-olive oil mixture.
- Carefully fold over one more layer of phyllo "overhang" onto phyllo-topped spinach mixture; lightly brush the folded-over-edges with butter-olive oil mixture.
- Repeat this step again.
- Continue layering phyllo sheets on top of the spinach mixture, brushing each sheet lightly with butter-olive oil mixture, until all phyllo sheets have been used. Try to tuck the corners and edges of the phyllo sheets down along the sides of the pan, so that the spinach filling is well-sealed within the phyllo sheets.
- With a very sharp knife, make 3 parallel slits through the top layer of phyllo sheets only, to create 4 even columns.
- Bake 45-60 mins. in preheated oven until top layer of phyllo is golden brown.
- Remove pan from oven, and allow spanakopita to cool slightly - about 10-15 mins.
- Using a very sharp knife, cut through the original 3 slits all the way to the bottom of the pan. Then make 5 perpindicular and parallel cuts, evenly spaced, to make 6 rows.
- Spanakopita may be served warm or at room temperature.
Notes
The original recipe came from a cookbook titled, Greek Cooking for the Gods, by Eva Zane. Eva Zane was the one who figured out adding bread crumbs to the bottom phyllo layers to absorb the moisture released by the spinach as it baked. Brilliant! The resulting phyllo layers are crispy and buttery with olive oil flavor. I played around with the quantities a bit, so that's what is listed in my recipe. (But Eva Zane deserves full credit as the author of this recipe. Ευχαριστώ - thank you, Ms. Zane!)
There are a few essential tips for making a fabulous spanakopita:
- For first-timers, working with filo dough can seem intimidating. But it really isn't! In this recipe, especially, because you are working with whole sheets, filo dough can be very forgiving and easy. Once the casserole is baked, the filo layers become very crispy and delicate; they will often crack so that any patchwork that had to be done is impossible to see. (And "patchwork" is often done - simply overlap single layers of filo dough, and brush with the olive oil-butter mixture to "glue" them together.)
- To save time, only use store-bought triple-washed spinach. It is very important that the spinach leaves are very dry before mixing them with the eggs-herbs-feta mixture and the sauteed green onions. Spinach tends to "weep" as it is cooked, so unless the spinach leaves are already very dry (as they are if triple-washed), using spinach-washed-at-home (and therefore not as dry) may result in a doughy bottom crust. That said, I do remember some of my mom's friends comparing notes on drying their home-washed spinach leaves; one of them even said she put her spinach leaves in a pillow case and sent it thorough her dryer on the gentle cycle - ! Personally, I prefer the easiest, time-saving way possible!
- While we're on the subject, sprinkling the panko bread crumbs between the bottom layers of filo is also very necessary to absorb any moisture from the spinach - do not skip this step!