Spanakopita - ( Greek Spinach Pie ) Баница със спанак

Dear Loves,

Since mama is on vacation and not in a hurry this morning, she decided that is a good time to try and make something good for brunch. This was my first attempt in making it and I learned a lot from it. I'm not saying that it turned out bad, because 30 minutes after I took it out from the oven, half of the pan was gone ... and that is always a really good indicator how it turned out 😉

I did found few authentic Greek recipes that I like and I did combine them together. Some of the ingredients I didn't have today, but I will add them next time I make Spanakopita.

Ingredients

5 eggs

1 pound Pastry Sheets / Phyllo

2 finely chopped yellow onions

1/2 cup chopped scallions (green onions)

1 or 2 packages of 10 - ounce frozen chopped spinach (thawed)

1 1/2 sticks of butter

3 tablespoons of olive oil to sauté the onions

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup of chopped parsley

1/2 cup of chopped dill

1cup ricotta cheese

2 - 3 cups of crumbled feta cheese (depends on the personal preference)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x11 inch baking pan with melted butter.

In a large skillet heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onion and scallions until soft and lightly browned (about 5 minutes) . Stir in spinach (thawed and drained, all the moisture has to be removed), parsley and dill and continue to sauté on low heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, crumbled feta and breadcrumbs. Stir in the cooled spinach mixture until is well blended. Divide your phyllo sheets in half that way it will be equal amount for the bottom and the top. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with melted butter. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with butter, and repeat process with the rest of the sheets designated for the bottom. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan. Brush with butter, then layer remaining sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with butter. Cut into squares and after that in triangles and brush the top lightly with butter.

Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Let it cool for about 15 minutes and serve it with coffee, plain yogurt or ayran ( айрян ).

bon appétit !

Love,

Mom xoxo