Spanakopita Pie

It's been a year! Sorry, it's been a busy time for me and my family and you know they come first! My latest kitchen concoction was inspired by the abundance of feta cheese leftover in my refrigerator from the holidays. With that in hand, I spotted a lonely roll of phyllo dough the rest was history. Make this in a 9x13 and cut into squares before you serve it. I can always tell how good something was by how much of the 9x13 my family cleans out, this time they ate 3/4's of it. I'd say that makes it a success! Let me know if you try it and if you make any variations. If you're like me and are always looking for another way to use ground beef, I think you'll like this. It messes up a few dishes but just wash them while it's baking and then reward yourself with double helpings!



Spanakopita Pie

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 large onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 large bag washed and ready fresh spinach
3 Tbs. lemon juice

2 cups cooked white rice, I use jasmine and rinse it well before I cook it.
12 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
2 eggs

1 roll of phyllo dough, defrosted
3/4 stick of butter, melted
Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 375. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and then drain off the fat if needed. Add onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes until the onions start to become tender. Then add salt, coriander, pepper, and nutmeg. Slowly start adding handfuls of the fresh spinach, stirring to help it combine. The spinach will keep shrinking down, when you've added about a quarter of the bag, add the lemon juice. Then keep stirring and adding the spinach until you've added all of it. Once it has all wilted down, remove skillet from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the cooked rice and feta cheese. Stir in the eggs and then stir in the beef and spinach mixture. The filling is done!

Start layering buttered sheets of phyllo in the bottom of a 9x13. Cover the phyllo with a wet paper towel if you have to walk away from it for a minute, it dries out quickly. I have a silicone pastry brush that is excellent for brushing the butter over the delicate phyllo, if you don't you'll have to get creative! Lay down 6 or seven layers of phyllo and then cover it with the beef and spinach mixture. Cover the top with at least 6-7 more layers of phyllo and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30-45 minutes, watch the top, don't let it over-brown.

Serves 8 if you have sides and only 6 if your crowd is hungry!

Strata Spanikopita

I was looking for what to make for dinner and decided to create something that pays tribute to my favorite appetizer, spanikopita. Perfect for brunch as well, this bakes up fluffy and full of vibrant flavor and color.

10-12 slices of Texas style toast, cubed
8 eggs
4 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
Olive oil
1 pkg. fresh spinach or 1 box frozen, thawed and drained
1/3 cup red onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbs. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread 2/3 of the cubed texas toast in the bottom. Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, thyme and pepper. pour 2/3 of the egg mixture over the bread in the 9x13.

Saute the onion and garlic for several minutes in a skillet and then stir in the spinach, lemon juice and nutmeg. Saute for several more minutes until heated through and spinach has wilted. Spread spinach mixture over the bread and egg mixture in the 9x13. Crumble 2/3 of the feta cheese and chopped tomato over the spinach mixture. Spread the remaining bread cubes over the top and pour the remaining egg mixture evenly over the top. If the bread looks too dry, pour a little milk over the dry spots. Spread the remaining 1/3 of feta and tomatoes over the top. Let sit on the counter for 1 hour and then bake in a 375 degree oven for one hour or until the center is set. It will puff up considerably.

Variation: Add some cooked and cubed chicken breast in with the spinach layer if you like.