Nelly’s Spanakopita
Servings
8-10
Prep Time
25-30 minutes
Cook Time
60-75 minutes
"When you think of Greek food, spanakopita immediately comes to mind. However, for Greeks, spanakopita is not those small little triangle canapes you find at weddings and cocktail parties. Instead, it's a larger dish eaten regularly with family and friends. Nelly loves eating it in the afternoon with a nice glass of wine.
Through adaptation and migration, the recipe has been altered from its traditional preparation. While Greek Americans still make it in a large pan, they swapped frozen spinach for fresh, began buying boxed phyllo instead of making it themselves, and brushed the layers with butter instead of olive oil. The substitutions yield buttery, crispy phyllo sheets that perfectly counterbalance a creamy, salty spinach filling."
Author:Recipe by Anna Francese Gass & Kanella "Nelly" Cheliotis from Heirloom Kitchen
Ingredients
4 pounds frozen chopped spinach
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
5 scallions, chopped
1/2 bunch dill, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
-
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5 eggs, beaten
1 pound cottage cheese
1 1/2 pounds feta cheese, broken up into small pieces
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 packet phyllo dough, #4 (Nelly likes Apollo)
1 cup clarified butter
FOR THE FILLING
FOR THE DOUGH
Directions
Preheat oven to 375° F. Thoroughly drain the spinach of all water by squeezing it in a cheesecloth. Wet spinach will cause soggy spanakopita.
Over medium heat, melt butter with scallions and cook until scallions are soft and translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer to a large bowl and add dill, salt, pepper, eggs, cottage cheese, feta cheese, spinach, and olive oil. Fold ingredients together until fully combined, careful to not break up feta. Do not overmix.
Now time to prepare the phyllo. Lightly butter a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Prepare phyllo by removing from package and unfurling it. You should have around 25 to 30 sheets. As you work, cover the dough with a damp tea towel or moistened paper towel on top to prevent it from drying out.
Carefully peel off one sheet of phyllo and lay it on the bottom of pan. Sheets of phyllo should not be pulled tight. Instead, lay it in a crumbled fashion to create a textured layer. With pastry brush, generously spread with clarified butter until the sheet is moistened. Continue until you have used half of your total phyllo dough (about 10 to 15 sheets).
Spread filling over the sheets of phyllo in an even layer, to the ends of the dish.
Begin the process of covering with phyllo and brushing with butter until two to three sheets of phyllo remain. Pull the final sheets tightly over the top of the dish to create a smooth top. Brush top layer with clarified butter.
Using a very sharp paring knife, score six even lines lengthwise down the phyllo, about 1/2-inch deep. Now, on the horizontal, cut four even lines across. In each square, cut a diagonal line to create two triangles in each box. Nelly likes to cut the corner pieces in the opposite direction.
Take the remaining clarified butter and brush directly into each cut. This will keep the phyllo in place while cooking. Then, take the paring knife and carefully tuck border down by running the knife around all four edges. Brush border with butter.
Bake at for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the top is a deep golden brown. Check after 1 hour for browning. Serve at room temperature.
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