I love bite-sized spanakopita as cocktail party fare but often find that a main course portion of the same starts to taste a bit "Johnny-little-one-note" a few bites in. I also hesitate to make it at home because of the faff that is involved in buttering and layering each thin piece of the phyllo dough.
It occurred to me, as I was staring malevolently at the packet, that there might be a way to make an actual pie, which would involve the buttery joys of phyllo but none of the labor. Light bulb moment. Once I committed to this non-traditional pastry path, it was only a matter of minutes before I threw caution to the wind and went with a non-classical filling as well.
For those of you who are sticklers for authenticity, this is not that recipe, but might I introduce you to a pie in the manner of spanakopita? Three times less work and triple the flavor.
This pie serves 6 as a main course with an interesting salad on the side.
8 oz of phyllo dough, defrosted (my package of phyllo dough contains 2 rolls of 8 oz each)
3 large bunches of fresh spinach
2 large leeks
1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 bay leaf
8 oz feta cheese
4 eggs
1/2 stick butter + 1 stick
Salt and white pepper
Chop the allium - finely chop the garlic, cut the red onion in half and then into thin half moons. Chop off the the green portion of the leek, cut the rest into thin spirals and wash very well, pushing aside the spiral layers into individual rounds as you wash. Leeks are very gritty so spend time on this or you will regret it when you eat the finished dish.
Melt half a stick of the butter in a deep pan over low heat and add the allium trio as is it melting. Stir from time to time as you prepare the rest of the dish.
Since spinach is also very gritty, make sure that you cut of the stems and wash the leaves exceedingly well. Allow to drain and the tip onto a clean dish towel to dry well or spin in your salad dryer.
Add the chopped herbs and the bay leaf to the allium mixture and stir to combine.
Add the spinach, a large handful at a time, and - as soon as it wilts - add another. Stir to combine and cook all of these ingredients until softened, stirring from time to time. Transfer from the pot to a large bowl, squeezing out and leaving behind, as much liquid as you can. Set aside in the fridge to cool.
Once the filling is cool, press with the back of a large spoon to see if you can remove any more liquid. Remove the bay leaf. Mix in the eggs and stir very well to combine. Crumble in the feta and stir lightly to combine without turning the feta to paste. Add salt and white pepper to taste, taking into account that the feta is salty.
When ready to assemble, melt the remaining stick of butter. Yes, it is a lot. Well, you don't eat this every day.
Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring form pan well.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Open the package of phyllo dough and unwrap. Randomly add layers of several sheets of the dough at a time to the buttered pan making sure that you stack them in alternating directions; allow all of the overflow to hang over the edges. Brush each layer with some melted butter before you add the next.
Once you have added the final piece of phyllo to the pan, tip in the filling and then fold the phyllo dough overhang over the top, a few pieces at a time from alternating sides. With your hands, arrange the layers on top into waves and whirls and then brush the top well with the remaining butter.
Bake for one hour and allow to cool to room temperature in the ring before serving. After an hour open the ring and, voilà, crispy buttery goodness.
