Spinach and cheese combined together in various sways – and then wrapped in dough – are staple dishes throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean. Sometimes, Phyllo Dough is used, as in this classic recipe. Other times, the mixture is encased in more pastry-like doughs, as in Boergs.
This recipe is incredibly easy to make and yet makes your family or friends think you’ve slaved away all day or taken some fancy chefs’ classes to create this dish that can be served either as a main course with a salad or in smaller pieces, as part of a meze table.
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 sheets of Phyllo Dough (cut in half to make 16 pieces)
- 8 ounces of Ricotta Cheese
- 8 ounces of Feta Cheese
- 1 Pound of Spinach – either fresh, or frozen
- 3 eggs
- ½ stick (1/8 pound) of Butter, melted
- pepper to taste, about 1 Teaspoon (there’s plenty of salt in the Feta)
METHOD:
- Take 8 sheets Phyllo Dough and place in the bottom of a baking pan/dish (size isn’t too important here – just consider that the Phyllo Dough sheets must be large enough to cover the entire bottom of the pan and that the larger the pan, the thinner the Spinach Pie). Every two layers, daub generously with melted butter (A pasty brush works great for this).
- Combine the Ricotta, crumbled Feta, and Eggs in a bowl and blend very well.
- Add the Spinach to the mixture (If you use frozen spinach, make sure the package is thawed and very well drained of all excess liquid!).
- Spread the egg, cheese spinach mixture on top of the phyllo dough layers, taking care to spread it evenly and to cover the entire surface of the pan.
- Take the remaining Phyllo Dough sheets and place on top of the mixture – again, daub every two layers with a good brush of melted butter.
- Take care to completely encase the spinach/cheese mixture – if there is excess dough on the bottom, bring it up around the side of the pan. If there is excess dough on the top, bring it out to the very edge and seal the top edge.
- Bake in a 350 degree F. oven for about 20 30 minutes, until the egg mixture has “set” and the Phyllo Dough has browned nicely - but has not burned.
- Remove from the oven and let the whole pan cool down to a warm/cool temperature before cutting into the pie and serving.
This is one of those dishes than tastes excellent warm – but also tastes great at room temperature. For a lunch or dinner, cut nice big squares – for a meze table, create bite-sized pieces. Oh, and for more fun, easy things to do with Phyllo Dough – leftover or otherwise – check out these blogs: Paklava Cookies, Paklava.
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