Primarily great because it requires no meat substitutions, yet the butter and feta cheese give the taste of fat and salt that meat-eaters crave. It is easier and cheaper to make than lasagne, can be prepared ahead of time, looks impressive out of the oven, and people don’t make it often; plus, you have a dinner party theme and a number of built-in, nutritionally dense sides: olives, hummous, warm pita bread, roast potatoes and Greek salad. And don’t forget to make a fresh tzatziki!
Spanakopita
This is a slightly modified recipe found on Allrecipes.com, Spanakopita II, submitted by Mary Kessler. I simply layer it in a 9 x 13 inch pan instead of folding triangles.
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach – thawed, drained and squeezed dry
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 (4 ounce) packages feta cheese, crumbled
4 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 (16 ounce) packages phyllo dough
3/4 pound butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Slowly cook and stir onions until softened. Mix in spinach, dill and flour. Cook approximately 10 minutes, or until most of the moisture has been absorbed. Remove from heat. Mix in feta cheese, eggs, salt and pepper.
Brush 9 x 13 inch pan or 17 x 11 jelly roll pan with butter. Layer 12 sheets of phyllo dough pastry in the pan, brushing each layer with butter. Spread evenly with the spinach mixture. Layer another 8-12 sheets of pastry and butter on top. Brush top with butter and use a sharp knife to score top into diamonds.
Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden brown.
Roast Potatoes
Just a word, because I make the best, (after my Uncle Steve, who eats no dairy and used to own a restaurant.) I use any Yukon variety…scrub about 2 potatoes per person and cut into wedges. Toss in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper (and Greek seasoning if you like,) bake in a 400 degree oven 20 minutes or until golden brown.
