Prep. Time 25′      Cooking Time 1h     Serves 12

To make Spanakopita you will need.

Ingredients

  • 1 package phyllo dough or 6 homemade phyllo sheets
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

For the filling:

  • 1 kg spinach, washed, drained and cut into large pieces
  • 5 leeks, finely chopped
  • 10 fresh onions with their leaves, thinly sliced
  • 1 dry onion, finely chopped or grated
  • 1 bunch of dill, finely chopped with stems
  • 1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped with stems
  • 1 bunch of mint, finely chopped with stems
  • 1/2 cup trahana
  • 450 g ripe hard feta cheese, coarsely grated
  • 200 ml evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Pie filling

  1. Coarsely chop the greens in a large bowl.
  2. Add the finely chopped dry and fresh onions, the leeks and finely chopped fresh herbs (dill, mint, and parsley).
  3. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. With your hands, rub all the ingredients until wilted, for about 1-2 minutes.
  5. Add the trahana and coarsely grated feta cheese, then mix well.
  6. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, evaporated milk, and olive oil together.
  7. Pour half of the egg mixture into the filling with the greens and mix well.
  8. Reserve the remaining half of the egg mixture for the phyllo sheets.
  9. Thin out the reserved egg mixture by adding 50 grams of water.

Assembly

  1. Grease a large, shallow baking dish, approximately 40 cm.
  2. Place the first large phyllo sheet in the baking dish, making sure it overlaps the edges of the dish.
  3. Brush lightly with the thinned egg mixture.
  4. Layer two more phyllo sheets, slightly crumpled to resemble grandma’s spinach pie.
  5. Drizzle with a little olive oil in between.
  6. Lightly brush with the egg mixture.
  7. Spread the filling in a thin layer over the sheets.
  8. Cover with another three crumpled phyllo sheets.
  9. Each time you layer a sheet, brush with the egg mixture and a little olive oil in between.
  10. The top sheets should not protrude, so crumple them up to ensure they are within the edges of the baking dish.
  11. Brush with extra virgin olive oil.
  12. Score the surface of the spanakopita into pieces.
  13. Brush with a little extra virgin olive oil.
  14. Bake the spanakopita in a preheated oven at 180°C, on the bottom rack, for about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Source: Argiro Barbarigou

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