* Spanakopeta Recipe *

My favorite food...and it is terrific served with Hummus and hot pita bread.

Hubby's and my 20th Wedding Anniversary is coming up soon, and it is tradition for us to go out for Greek food, in honor of our anniversary and our honeymoon trip to Greece, so many years ago.


Spanakopeta
(Greek Spinach Pie)
from Betty Wason's Greek Cookbook, MacMillan Co., 1969

12 phyllo pastry sheets
2 pounds spinach, cooked and chopped,
or 2 packages frozen spinach, chopped
Minced and chopped dill (about 1 tsp.)
2 Tbsp. minced parsley
salt, to taste
1 or 2 eggs
½ pound feta cheese
½ cup melted butter or olive oil

If frozen spinach is used, cook as directed on package, draining well. Add dill, parsley, and salt to taste. Add 1 egg to the cooked spinach. Add the second egg to the cheese, which has been crumbled. I also like to add a small bit of finely chopped onion to this mix.

Butter a square baking dish (9 x 9 inches) and place 6 sheets of phyllo pastry in the bottom, brushing each sheet with melted butter or oil. Add a layer of all the spinach, dill, and parsley mixture, then a layer of all the cheese. Cover with 6 more phyllo sheets, buttering or oiling between each one. Now, it is helpful to keep a thin, damp cloth on top of the whole stack of phyllo dough from which you are getting new leaves to layer in your baking dish. This keeps the phyllo from drying out and sticking together.

With a sharp, pointed knife, cut the top layer of pastry into squares. Aprinkle water over top to keep phyllo paste from curling. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes until pastry is golden. Remove from the oven, cool until it can be handled, then turn out upside down on a baking sheet, and return it to the oven so that the undercrust can become crisp and golden. Cut the pie into squares and serve. Excellent hot, also very good cold. makes about 6 entrée servings.

Doubles nicely, place and bake in 13 x 9 baking pan.