Spanikopita
I grew up around so many Greek diners in Buffalo that I didn’t know any other kind of diner existed. Once a week at least we visited one of my favorite places- Kostas, Acropolis or The Towne. My favorite dishes were lemony Greek potatoes, Greek salad, and this Greek “grilled cheese” where Kostas would stuff a half a pita with feta and tomatoes and grill it so it was crispy on the outside. But by far my favorite dish was Spanakopita, or Spinach Pie, with a side of Greek salad. I never had the small triangular appetizers but a big square slice, like a slice of lasagna. This version sort of merges the two ideas to create individual serving sizes.
Makes 6-8 individual servings
Ingredients
- 4 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
- 2 8-ounce packages Feta cheese block, crumbled by hand
- 2 scallions, chopped
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 egg, beaten
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Freshly grated allspice (just a pinch)
- ½ stick melted butter
- 16-20 Filo dough sheets, defrosted
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
In a large mixing bowl, add the spinach, cheese, scallions, zest, egg, pepper and allspice and thoroughly mix together. Set aside
On a flat surface, brush melted butter on one sheet of filo and layer another sheet on top. Brush that sheet with butter and add another sheet and repeat until you have four sheets stacked. Don’t butter the top sheet. Cut the filo pile in half width-wise so you have two stacks. Add a pile of the spinach mixture in a fat row at the end of one sheet and roll it up like a burrito. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, seam side down. Brush top with more butter. Do the same with the other and when completed, start all over with a new stack.
Bake in oven for about 25 minutes or until golden brown on the outside. Serve with a Greek Salad. Opa!
Note: while not using the filo, keep covered with a moist paper towel as it dries out easily.
