This is a version of the Greek spinach pie, baked in a large pan and individual servings are cut out, filled with fresh greens and salty feta cheese. Didi remarks that she learned by watching others make this rather than by a written recipe. The Greeks are great for using all manner of fresh leafy greens in their cuisine, everything from chard and spinach to turnip greens, fennel and dill fronds, dandelion, sorrel, even the green leaves of the poppy plant. There is a "fasting", or vegan, version of spinakopita, eaten during the Great Lent and other religious fasts, and comprising of spinach, green herbs like dill, parsley or celery, and olive oil, but without eggs or dairy products. Instead of a regular pie dough, they use tissue-thin pastry sheets called filo, and create the crust by layering a stack of them to make delicious cheese pies, called pitas. The crust ends up shatteringly crisp. While it is an enviable skill to make the delicate filo from scratch, finding that store-bought pre-made filo is not only handy, but just as delicious as the homemade. It is available in the freezer section of most supermarkets (freezing preserves its pliability), but fresh is available in a market specializing in Middle Eastern foods. Defrost the filo in the refrigerator in its plastic wrapper before using. Here Didi uses olive oil, but you can use melted butter, which is tradition, for brushing the layers. You can also make a combination of olive oil and plain yogurt for brushing the layers as well. You can substitute crumbled tofu marinated in some soy sauce in place of the feta if you like to make a vegan version, or add some ricotta cheese to the feta to make it cheesier.
Serves 8
3/4 to 1 cup olive oil (or 1 1/2 sticks butter, melted and cooled for the solids to sink to the bottom)
3 bunches fresh spinach, well washed, or 2 10-ounce packages frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 bunch flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
8- to 12-ounces feta, rinsed, drained, and crumbled (depending on how cheesy you like your pie)
1 pound filo pastry leaves, defrosted overnight in the refrigerator
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, optional
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan, add half of the spinach and saute until spinach wilts, tossing with tongs, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove spinach and squeeze out excess liquid, then chop roughly. Repeat with remaining spinach, then combine with the parsley. Cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. (This part can be done ahead and kept refrigerated). Add the feta.
Preheat the oven to 250º. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch rectangular ceramic or Pyrex pan or a 14-inch deep pizza pan with olive oil. Place the olive oil in a small bowl.
Lay the unfolded filo on a work surface and cover with a damp clean tea towel to prevent drying out and becoming brittle. Arrange 3 sheets of filo in the pan in an offset, overlapping pattern to cover the entire bottom of the pan with a quarter of each sheet laying over the rim of the pan, laying in one sheet at a time. Dipping the tips of a natural pastry brush into the oil, lightly brush each sheet before placing the next sheet on top. If your filo has holes or gets torn, don't fret, lay another sheet over or patch with scraps and brush with oil. If your filo sheets become stuck at the edges and you cannot separate them, just use the stack and brush with some extra oil. Layer 2 sheets of filo at a time, until half of the filo is used.
Scrape the spinach filling into the lined pan and spread in an even layer. Brush another sheet of filo with oil and place on top of the filling, again leaving a quarter of the sheet overhanging the rim. Repeat with the remaining filo sheets, brushing each one, to create the top crust. Brush the top with remaining oil.
With your fingers, tuck the filo overhanging around the edges so they will be underneath the entire mixture to form part of the bottom crust. With a paring knife, score the top 3 layers of pastry, to portion 8 squares. Place the milk in a small bowl. Dip your two middle fingers into the milk and gently trace around the rim of the tart and along the scored lines (this keeps the crust from thrusting up and curling during baking), pressing gently to adhere them to the layers below. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired, as a decorative touch.
Immediately place in the oven and bake 60 to 70 minutes, until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and let stand 20 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.
