Why is it that the term 'labor of love' automatically brings up negative connotations? I am on a mission to change that. Starting with this recipe for spanikopita. I mean, I understand that phyllo dough can sort of make perfectionist want to rip out their hair and curl up in a ball in the corner and cry for a while, and I imagine that if I was a complete perfectionist, then that would have been me every time that I have worked with it. But it is really good and makes for such an interesting texture that, for me, is nice when you're in a bit of a food rut. Or if you're just hungry.
It is some seriously delicate stuff. We are talking, wafer-thin, so much so that you could probably see through it in the dark. Maybe.
Anyway, it most generally comes frozen and even when properly thawed can be difficult and definitely fiddly. The sheets of this stuff are so thin that it takes about a blink to dry out, but that can mostly be avoided by leaving a damp cloth over the part that you aren't using.
Still, though, I find that I can never peel away a whole and perfect sheet of the stuff, which is the part that if I were a perfectionist I would have my freak out; however, it doesn't matter.
Yes, you read that correctly. It. just. doesn't. matter.
Who cares, or can event tell, to be honest, that each piece of phyllo was not one perfect sheet when there is spinach and feta cheese to distract them?
Years ago, when I worked for a restaurant in my city, one of the caterers would make spanikopita for most of her parties. Her version was a bit different than mine in that the filling was much creamier (I think she used a bit of ricotta cheese and eggs in the stuffing as well.) and she made the spanikopita in little individual sort of triangular packets. Talk about fiddly.
This version is much easier, just let the phyllo thaw in the ice box the night before you plan to make it. When it comes time to make it, saute some onion and garlic, adding the spinach and feta cheese at the last minute. Measure out some olive oil and brush in between each sheet of phyllo as you layer them into a baking dish. After a few layers of phyllo (the laborious part,if you will, hence, labor of love) and spread half of the spinach and feta mix in an even layer. Repeat this method a couple more times and bake until it goes crackly and golden ontop. Eat it cold, room temperature, hot, however you feel and while I am sure the left overs are fabulous (top that with a fried egg....) however we ate the whole thing. It was that good.
1/2 of a sweet onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced....
2 boxes of frozen spinach, thawed
....
1c. feta cheese, crumbled
....
1/3c. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 box (or there abouts) phyllo dough, thawed
-The night before (or morning of, whichever is easiest) put both the phyllo dough and the spinach in the ice box to thaw.
-When it comes time to make the dish, preheat the oven to 400f.
-Saute the onions in a swirl of olive oil in a pan until they begin to soften and take on a light golden hue; to this add the garlic and spinach.
When using formerly frozen spinach, it is imperitive that you make sure to squeeze all of the water from the spinach. If you have never done this before, there may be a surprising amount of moisture residing within the green pulpy mass, but you'll know when the water is gone. Usually people just put the spinach into a tea towel and squeeze that, but I just put it in my sturdy sieve and, using a silicone spatula, press upon the spinach until no more water comes out.
-Once the mixture is heated through, remove from the heat source and mix in the feta.
-Now for the somewhat tricky bit- the layering. I used a 6x10in. baking dish that I sprayed with oil. Measure out the olive oil into a small bowl. Roll out the phyllo dough on a completely flat surface and cover immediately with a damp cloth, to prevent drying. If the sheets break, just keep in mind that you are just looking for a flat layer, so if you end up having to use several sheets sort of like you would in paper mache, its perfectly fine and won't noticeably effect the finished dish.
-Place a sheet of phyllo in the bottom of the pan, folding if necessary. Brush this with a bit of olive oil, being gentle. Don't freak out if it tears, because you will repeat this about 6-8 times so any tears or rips will eventually be covered up.
-When you have finished the first 6-8 layers ('one layer' meaning one olive oil brushed sheet of phyllo dough) spread on half of the spinach feta mixture. Repeat with the phyllo (6-8 layers), spinach, and finish with another 4-8 layers of phyllo. By this time you are liable to be bored, so I wouldn't blame you for stopping at four layers but 6-8 is preferable here.
-Brush the top with olive oil and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is gorgeously crackly and golden. Let this cool for about 10-15 minutes and eat cold, room temperature, or hot.
I served mine with some roasted tomatoes which was lovely because they cook at the same temperature and take about the same amount of time as the spanikopita. After their roasting, they are filled with a tomato-y butter that is gorgeous alongside the spanikopita.
