Spanakopita!

A couple of years ago I surprised my taste buds with spanakopita. See, I never really liked spinach, so I was surprised when I liked this dish. I had some leftover phyllo getting ready to bad, so I figured I'd try making some spanakopita myself. I've learned I love the taste of phyllo, but not the tedious task of working with it. I'm going to leave making spanakopita up to the Greeks.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes. I put some phyllo in the middle, but the picture doesn't really show it. I feel like the filling is missing a little something--mostly a spice. After I sprinkled some salt and pepper it definitely tasted better. As you can imagine, with a layer of phyllo dough on top, it's hard to get salt and pepper into the filling, so be sure you do it while mixing the filling. It can also get soggy, so be sure you drain the spinach, and then again try draining the filling.

Oh, also, I knew I couldn't eat all of this at once, so I used two bread loaf pans--baked one, put the other unbaked in the freezer.


INGREDIENTS

* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 bunch green onions, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 pounds spinach, rinsed and chopped (I used baby spinach so I didn't have to destem it.)
* 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
* 1 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
* 1 bundle of phyllo dough (the packages they sell in the store come with two bundles)
* 1/4 cup olive oil (to coat phyllo, I used melted butter)
* 1 tsp salt
* pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan. (I used 2 baking loaves)
2. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley (and salt and pepper), and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. DRAIN!
3. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil (or butter). Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread 1/2 spinach and cheese mixture into pan and put another 4-6 layers of phyllo (brush with butter, as before). Spread remaining spinach mixture and fold any overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4-8 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil (I only did 4 and wish I had a thicker crust on top). Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.