User's avatarcindyley

Yia Yia's Greek Spanakopita

My Greek grandmother taught me how to make many delicious recipes, and this "Greek Spinach Pie" is one of my favorites. Enjoy!

Timehalf a day
Yielda bunch
Recipe of Yia Yia's Greek Spanakopita by cindyley

Ingredients

  • 1 lb phyllo dough (fresh)
  • 1/2 C melted butter
  • 1/2 C vegetable oil
  • 16 oz dry cottage cheese (hard to find - you can wring out regular cottage cheese in a cheese cloth)
  • 8 oz feta cheese crumbled
  • 8 oz parmesan cheese
  • 40 oz frozen spinach (wrung out well in a towel)
  • 3 bunches of green onions chopped (wrung out)
  • 2 large sweet or yellow onions chopped
  • 4 eggs beaten
  • 3-4 TLB dry dill weed
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper

Steps

  1. Drain spinach overnight and then using a towel* to wring out as much liquid as you can. Put in a big bowl. Add both kinds of onions. Mash feta cheese and beat it together with the eggs, then add both to spinach mixture. Add all the other ingredients except butter.
  2. Cut the phyllo sheets into four long strips. Melt the butter and use a pastry brush to apply butter under and on top of two sheets of phyllo. Take a tablespoon of the spinach mixture and put it on the bottom of two of the strips which you just buttered. Roll it up like you would a paper football, diagonally both left and then right. Lay pieces on a cookie sheet ( parchment covered). Bake 325-350 for 25-35 minutes until golden brown.
  3. There are other shapes you can make as well - for small rolls, use two sheets of the same sized four long strips of phyllo, buttering each above and below. Place the spinach mixture at the bottom of the strips and roll up. Half way through fold in the edges and keep rolling.
  4. You can also make one long roll/log by using 2 full sheets, buttered between layers. Score the tops before cooking. After cooled, you can then cut them into smaller pieces.
  5. Lastly, you can use entire sheets and lay them on a cookie sheet - several buttered layers, followed by the spinach mixture, and then more buttered layers. After cooking you can cut into squares when cool. Yield: serves 10
  6. *It is important to get out as much moisture as you can so the Spanakopita is not soggy. As you cook them, if you notice butter at the bottom of the tray, you can use your pastry brush to coat the tops as it finishes cooking.
  7. Phyllo (filo) dough can also be found in the freezer section of grocery stores. But it is very difficult to work with - sheets stick to each other and tear frequently. Find a Greek or Mediterranean specialty store and ask if they sell fresh refrigerated phyllo.
  8. Taste the filling before rolling to make sure it has the proper amount of salt for your taste.
  9. OPA!