This Greek savory pastry is a super simple way to get dinner--or brunch--on the table fast! The Phyllo dough makes a nice crispy crust, a great counterpart to the rich spinach filling. This dish is freezer friendly, too. After adding the filling to the pie pan, simply wrap in plastic wrap then foil then slip into a freezer-duty zip top bag. Thaw the pie for two hours then bake as directed. Delicious, healthy and convenient!
Ingredients:
16 oz fresh spinach leaves
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
2 Tbl Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 eggs
2 tsp sea salt
1 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground fenugreek
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
3 Tbl panko
8 oz crumbled feta cheese
½ cup pine nuts
For the crust:
6 sheets phyllo dough
Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbl melted butter
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the spinach leaves, working in batches if necessary, and allow to wilt and cook down. They will release quite a bit of liquid. Move the spinach to colander to drain. After much of the liquid has drained, move the spinach to a sheet pan lined with several layers of paper towels. Top with more paper towels and press to remove more liquid. Move the spinach to a large bowl.
Wipe down the sauté pan and heat the Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil over medium heat. Add the onions. Saute until softened and lightly golden brown, about 7 minutes.
Add the onions to the bowl with the spinach. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt, pepper, nutmeg and fenugreek. Add this mixture to the spinach and onions and stir well. Fold in the parmesan, panko, feta and pine nuts. Set aside while you prepare the phyllo.
Lay the sheets of phyllo dough on a flat surface. Brush the first sheet with Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Lift the sheet into a pie pan allowing the sides to hang over the edges of the pan. Brush the next sheet with the oil and lay it on top of the sheet in the pan. Each time you lay a sheet of phyllo on top of the previous, rotate it about 20 degrees. Repeat with the remaining sheets. With each subsequent sheet, you are creating a star effect. This will help the crust be a bit more even when you fold it over the filling. Pour the spinach mixture into the center of the pan. Fold the excess phyllo on top of the spinach mixture. This is much like the method for a free-form pie crust or galette. Arrange any broken pieces of phyllo among the folded edges of the crust. There will be an open area in the center where the crust doesn’t cover. Brush the phyllo with melted butter.
Bake for 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and the filling is set. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
