Spanikopita!

Like, Couscous, this is another really fun word to say... SPANIKOPITA! Thank you Greece, for your delicious food, fun words, healthy diets, and amazing gathering traditions ("OPA!"). In San Pedro, CA, there once existed a beautiful, delicious Greek restaurant called Papadakis Taverna. Sadly, sadly, after 37 years of wonderful dining experiences, this family-owned restaurant closed in January of this year. One of my memories of eating at Papadakis as a young child includes chomping on a delicious Phyllo dough appetizer called spanikopita.

*Adapted from Closet Cooking

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds spinach (steamed, squeezed, drained, and chopped) or 1 package of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I prefer the block cheese to the pre-crumbled cheese -- pre-crumbled feta is very dried out)

1/2 to 1 cup goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup dill, chopped (I didn't have this so I substituted with about 2 Tablespoons Oregano and Italian Seasoning)

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

2 eggs, lightly beaten

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

phyllo dough

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute onion and garlic with 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until onions are browned.

Mix browned onions and garlic with the spinach, feta, goat cheese, dill, parsley, eggs, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

Brush the bottom of an 8x8 inch baking dish or pie plate with olive oil. Place a sheet of phyllo dough in the pan and brush with olive oil. (You may have to cut the phyllo dough to fit the pan... I used a pizza cutter for that.) Repeat until you have 6-10 layers.

Spoon the spinach mixture on top of the phyllo dough. Pat down gently to make level.

Place another sheet of phyllo dough and brush with olive oil. Repeat until you have another 6-10 layers. Place in the oven and bake until golden brown on top, about 30-40 minutes.

Let cool and cut into diagonals.

"Opa!!!"