Spanokopita (spinach pie)

(serves 4-6)

I'm not really sure why I suddenly decided to make this, it's possible that it was because my husband bought a big bag of baby spinach and I thought, oh yeah, maybe I should make a big spinach pie! Then of course, even after realising that you don't use baby spinach in spanokopita, once that thought had entered my head and my tastebuds were excited, there was no going back. I dimly recall trying to make this a long time ago when I was reminiscing good times in Greece, and when I had a look on this blog, I realised the one (and last) time I tried was eight years ago! 

About time to have a second attempt, this time much better. Purchasing the filo pastry from the fridge section rather than the freezer, and properly thawing it to room temperature made a big difference, plus the damp tea towel trick over the filo pastry as you work on it worked well to avoid too many holes. Just making one big pie also made it much quicker and less fiddly than little spinach triangles, and it's possible that having a little helper made it easier too (though that's debatable).  Definitely prefer this version with much more spinach, which is great source of iron! :)

Prep time: 60 min

Cooking time: 40 - 50 min

Ingredients
900 g spinach or silverbeet
1 brown onion
2 cloves garlic
120 g parsley (2 bunches)
4 stalks shallots
200g ricotta
200 g feta cheese
3-4 eggs, lightly beaten (depending on the size of your eggs)
8 sheets filo pastry, thawed (needs 2-3 hours at room temperature from the fridge)
olive oil

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
2. Rinse and finely chop the spinach. Spin dry in a salad spinner or dry in a colander.

This is a lot of spinach! I ended up using one bunch spinach and one bunch English spinach, I read baby spinach leaves are no good as they wilt too much and produce too much liquid.

3. Finely dice the onion, garlic, parsley and shallots.
4. Heat a large saucepan on medium heat and add a teaspoon of oil. Add in the onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes then add in the spinach (as much as you can fit). Place the lid on top and allow it to cook for a few minutes until soft. Remove, then cook the remaining spinach. Place in a colander altogether and try to squeeze out as much juice as you can.

Pre-squeeze, and post-squeeze

5. In a large mixing bowl, place the chopped parsley and shallots. Add in the ricotta, feta, the spinach mixture and the eggs. Mix thoroughly.

6. Unfold the filo pastry and lay it flat. Prepare a damp tea towel to place on top whilst working through each layer. 
7. Lightly brush your casserole dish with olive oil on the base and the sides. Place the first piece of filo pastry on top, brush lightly with oil then place the next piece on top. Do this for  four sheets then spread your spinach mixture inside. 
NB. I found doing one layer horizontal and one layer vertical was helpful to ensure there were overhanging edges for my casserole dish, but maybe this just depends on the size and shape of your dish. 
8. Place another four layers of filo on top, layering with oil as you go, then fold in the edges. and brush lightly with oil on top. Place in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, until brown and crispy on top.

9. Cut into desired sizes and serve warm with a simple salad.