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 Spanakopita
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
Hints:
- 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.
Preparations:
- 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, then
- 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 top
- When 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.
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