Spanakopita (Spinach Pie): The Greek word 'spanaki' means spinach and 'pita' means pie, hence, Spanakopita! A classic dish representing Greek hospitality!

A delicious dish of layers of flaky, buttered, very thin phyllo dough... great hot or cold...even leftovers are fantastic!

The filling full of fresh herbs and while not everyone uses this in their recipe, I certainly do...fresh leeks!!

Phyllo dough can be store bought in the freezer section. Ensure you let the package thaw at room temperature so that you can use these thin layers. Before you open the phyllo dough to use it, it is best to grab either an extra-large baking pan or two 9 x 13 inch pans. Brush the bottom and the sides of the pan with melted butter. I use ½ cup of unsalted butter. Some prefer olive oil, but I was raised watching this being made with butter and what doesn't taste better than butter?!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. phyllo dough
• ½ cup unsalted melted butter OR ⅓ to ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 lbs fresh spinach, washed & dried
• 1 bunch of leeks, chopped finely (I tend to even use more!)
• 1 ⅓ lb. feta, crumbled (I prefer to buy the block of feta and crumble it myself)
• 1 lb. ricotta cheese
• 4 whole eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp fresh dill finely chopped
• ¼ cup parsley chopped

This dish has phyllo sheets on the bottom and top of the pan. To ensure it is not soggy, you must ensure you eliminate as much excess moisture in the spinach before baking it! While my Mom would use a cheese cloth to ring out the extra moisture, I use a sieve in a large bowl to put my spinach in after I cook it a bit, in batches, in the skillet.

Let's start! Take your skillet and pour 1 tablespoon olive oil, place a batch of your fresh spinach in the skillet, allowing it to wilt. Remove with tongs and place that into the siv. Keep repeating until all of your spinach has wilted. When completed, take a spatula and press down on the spinach in the sieve and ensure all of the water is removed from the spinach. This will help the top and bottom layers of the phyllo bake so they are crispy and not soggy!

Open the phyllo dough, and grab one of the sheets and lay it over the pan. ** Important... take a clean dish cloth and cover all of the other sheets to help keep the moisture in and so there is less breakage of the sheets. If a sheet rips, it is ok! Still use it! **

Use a brush to get some of the melted butter and brush the entire sheet including the pieces that hang over the edge of the pan. Take the next sheet, and arrange it the opposite way from the first. Brush again with the melted butter. I tend to use 10 sheets on the bottom and about 8 on the top. Once you have the bottom layered with buttered phyllo sheets, take all of the other ingredients, to mix it well in a big bowl. Please first make sure to separate the strained spinach so it is loose and not in clumps. Make sure all of the ingredients are very well mixed together. Pour the entire amount into the pan on top of the buttered phyllo sheets. Layer the remaining phyllo sheets on top of the spinach, making sure to butter each sheet again, and the edges. The top layers I place all in the same direction. When finished, fold the edges in, as you would a pie and push down into the pan. The entire dish and edges will expand.

BEFORE baking, you will want to score the sheets. This pan will make 12 nice sized pieces. Make sure to cut through the top layers and through the edges.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Check on it as ovens vary but you want it to get golden brown. Allow the dish to cool for about 20-25 minutes before cutting it. Cut through to the bottom pieces.

A very flavorful dish, and wonderful with a small Greek salad. Delicious both hot or cold!

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