Spanakopita
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Spanakopita
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Category
Lunch - Brunch - Dinner
Servings
4-6
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
75 minutes
Ingredients
- 40 ounces of fresh spinach (four 10 oz packages)
- 1.75 pds of Feta Cheese (I use half domestic and half imported this way it's not to salty)
- 6 oz of low fat cottage cheese
- 9 eggs
- 3 scallions
- 1/2 bunch of fresh parsley
- package of Phyllo Pastry Sheets (I use Athens fillo dough, you can find this in the frozen section of the grocery store)
- 1 stick of no-salt butter
-
1/4 c Maine-ly Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-
Although you can use most Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Maine-ly Drizzle I find medium intensity oils work best such as Maine-ly Drizzle's Hojiblanca
Directions
Let the Phyllo dough thaw, you will want to work with the phyllo at room temperature. Thaw for an hour or so. I will refrigerate overnight and take out of refrigerator before I begin chopping ingredients. After you open the fillo, you will want to use right away.
Using a large pan or very large bowl you will add ingredients as it is being chopped, mixing well.
Use a 14x9x2 ceramic/glass dish for spanakopita (you can also use a metal lasagna dish as well)
pre-heat over at 350 degrees.
I use a kitchenAid food processor (any food processor works fine) chop spinach first (I do this in batches) the amount of batches will depend on how large or small your processor is; parsley and scallions next;
then I use the processor to crumble the feta if you buy a block, if not and you use pre-crumbled feta you can simply put it in your mixture, then I add the eggs, and cottage cheese to the processor to mix. This makes it nice and creamy.
Mix well
You're ready to use the phyllo pastry sheets:In a small bowl, add the stick of no-salt butter and 1/4 c of Maine-ly Drizzle's Extra Virgin Olive Oil (melt in microwave or on stove top)
Open package of fillo dough, lay out contents.
Using a pastry brush, brush melted butter/oil mix on the bottom and sides of baking dish.
Put 4 sheets of fillo on the bottom of dish (only bottom and top layers use 4 sheets). Once again brush butter on top of the layer
- Put about 2 - 3 large scoops of spinach mixture, spread on fillo. Mix should cover fillo (not sides of dish, just bottom)
For each row thereafter, until the last layer, use 2 sheets of fillo, brush with butter/oil mix add 2-3 scoops of spinach mix and repeat
When you get close to end, count out fillo to ensure that you have enough mixture to use all of the fillo remembering you need 4 sheets for the top.Keep enough butter/oil mix to brush over the topWhen finished, I cut the excess fillo from around the outside of dish before rolling edges up (look at picture) seal top by rolling edges up.
Using the remaining butter/oil, brush over top and seal edges. If there is more brush on the insides of the dish (slip tip of brush with butter/oil mix inside, along the edges)
Bake at 350 for 75 minutes.