Mealtime Magic: Spinach Pie

Every family has its own favorite Easter dishes, such as roasted lamb or a spiral ham. What makes many Easter dinners truly special, however, are the side dishes.
 
This year, why not offer your guests delicious, flaky Spanakopita – delicious spinach pie? Spanakopita is made with Fillo Dough, filled with spinach, leeks, dill, parsley, and crumbled Feta cheese.
 
Spanakopita makes an attractive side dish for any meal; it can also serve as a main entrée for your vegetarian guests. Chef Demetrios Haralambatos, the executive chef at Kontos Foods, a Paterson, N.J. provider of traditional Mediterranean foods, recommends this recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds spinach, steamed, squeezed, chopped, and drained (or frozen spinach; fully thawed)
• 1 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup dill, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• One leek, chopped or 1/4 cup green onion (scallion) chopped
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• salt and pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup olive oil for brushing pastry
• 12 sheets Fillo dough (#5)

Instructions:

1. Mix together the spinach, Feta, dill, parsley, leeks, eggs, salt and pepper.
2. Brush the bottom of an 8x8 inch baking pan with olive oil.
3. Place a sheet of Fillo dough in the pan, brush lightly with olive oil. Use kitchen scissors to trim the Fillo to fit. Repeat until you have 6 layers, lightly brushing each layer with Olive Oil.
4. Place the spinach and greens mixture on top of the 6 layers of Fillo dough, in an even layer. Flatten with a spatula.
5. To create a “top” for your spinach pie, layer another six pieces of Fillo dough on top of the spinach mixture, brushing each layer with olive oil as you go.
6. Bake for 30-50 minutes at 350⁰ F, until golden brown.

 
To learn more about Kontos Fillo dough (also known as Phyllo or Filo dough), visit www.kontos.com. You can also find Kontos Foods on Twitter @KontosFoods or on Facebook at www.facebook/KontosFoods.