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Ingredients
2 tablespoons ghee + more for brushing (or use half olive oil and half melted butter)
16-ounce fresh baby spinach (or swiss chard)
1 large sweet onion peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped scallions
1 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
3 tablespoons chopped dill
8 ounces ricotta cheese
6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (off the block)
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 sheets filo dough thawed (about 9 ounces)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Set a large sauté pan over medium-low heat and set out a 9X13 inch baking dish.
Add the ghee to the sauté pan. Once melted, add the onions and celery. Sauté for 5-8 minutes to soften and release the moisture.
Next, add the spinach. Sauté another 5-8 minutes until the spinach has completely wilted down. Then add the scallions, parsley, mint, and dill. Sauté another 2-3 minutes.
Move the cooked greens to a fine mesh strainer. Press the greens down to remove as much moisture as possible. Then use a paper towel to press again until the greens seem dry. *Too much moisture in the filling will make it difficult for the pasty sheets to stay crisp.
Place the dried greens back in the pan. Add in all cheese, eggs, and seasonings. Mix well.
Prepare a small bowl of melted ghee. Brush a thin layer of ghee across the bottom of the baking dish. Place a filo sheet out on a clean work surface. Brush the top of the filo sheet with ghee. Then lay another filo sheet across the top. Continue to layer and brush the filo until you have 6 sheets stacked. Move the stack to the baking dish.
Spread the spinach and cheese filling evenly over the pastry sheets.
Then prepare a second filo stack for the top crust. However, this time overlaps the filo sheets so they are wider than the top of the baking dish. You want to have a wide enough stack to be able to create wrinkles in the top crust. Brush and overlap 6 filo sheets with a 2-inch lip on either side, so the final stack is 4 inches wider than the bottom stack.
Move the filo stack to the top of the baking dish. Tuck the edges into the corners and sides. Gently press the top down, just a little, to create wrinkles in the top crust. Brush the top with ghee.
Bake the spinach pie for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown. If the crust starts to look brown too early, cover the top loosely with a piece of foil, and continue baking.
Allow the pie to cool for at least 5 minutes. Then cut into 12 pieces and serve.
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