Spanikopita! I realize that this dish is usually served as an appetizer or snack, but I find it a fun and fairly well rounded meal. I've heard that some Greek recipes call for a thicker dough, so the product looks more like a calzone than my dish. I've also recently learned that it is found in others areas by similar names. My Bosnian neighbor nearly jumped for joy when I served it to her.
Melt (don't clarify) 1/2 -- 1 cube/stick of butter. You'll use this from start to finish during construction.
Sautée 1/2 minced or whatever yellow onion in..... Butter. Salt lightly.
I prefer to brown my onions heavily. Transfer finished onions to a large mixing bowl and allow them to cool a bit. While the onions cool, open 1 can of spinach (you can also use frozen spinach or fresh spinach. I'm using the recipe I came up with in grad school) and allow it to drain in a colander. Add spinach to mixing bowl along with 4-7 eggs, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp pepper, and approximately 1/2 lb feta cheese. Mix with your hands.
Construction:
Liberally butter the bottom of a 9x11 pan. Place 7-10 sheets filo, then pour all the spinach mixture, top with 7-10 additional filo sheets. Butter the top of these sheets (don't be shy) and add another 3-5 sheets. You guessed it... Butter the top of that layer!
Use a sharp knife to cut it into squares or diamonds and bake for 50 minutes at 375. You can serve it hot, cold, or at room temperature. I love it got because you get the crispy texture of the butter "fried" filo on the top and bottom.
Many recipes call for unsalted butter. I prefer to use less butter in the actual filling and treat the butter like it's a condiment. It's a pretty cool flavor feel in the mouth to have the buttery saltiness in layers. The feta available in the average American grocery store is pretty salty on it's own which can add a lot of seasoning on it's own. You don't actually have to salt anything if you follow my college recipe.
Enjoy!
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