Creamy Fillo Spinach Pie
This wonderful, creamy pie is somewhere between a savory flan and a spinach lasagne. The fillo turns into a soft, very thin pasta, so don’t expect it to be crisp and papery. It sounds complicated, but it is quite easy and really worth the labor. I am sure you will be delighted by the result. It can be made in advance and reheated. The pie is excellent when cut up into small pieces and served at a party. Use a package of fillo containing large-size sheets. (I used a 14-ounce package of sheets measuring 19 inches × 12 inches, minus 2 sheets.) The large sheets are usually sold frozen and you need to defrost them for 2 to 3 hours before using (see page 9 for information about fillo). The Turkish kasar, a sharp hard cheese, can be found in Turkish stores but mature Cheddar is equally good for the dish. From the supermarket, you can now buy packages of young spinach leaves, washed and ready to use, but you can also use not-so-young spinach and remove any thick stems, or use frozen leaf spinach.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 8
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
To make the filling, wash the spinach, removing stems only if they are thick and tough. Put them to steam in a large pan with 4 to 5 tablespoons water over medium heat, with the lid on. Within very few minutes they will have crumpled into a soft mass, so keep your eye on them. Strain well, then, when cool enough to handle, squeeze them dry, pressing all the water out with your hands. Still using your hands, mix the spinach into the mashed feta.
Step 2
Beat the eggs with a fork in a large bowl. Heat the butter in a pan. When it has melted, pour in the milk and heat until it is warm, then gradually beat this into the eggs.
Step 3
Grease a rectangular or square baking dish a little smaller than the sheets of fillo. Open the sheets only when you are ready to use them and keep them in a pile so that they do not dry out.
Step 4
Lay a sheet in the greased baking dish, pressing it into the corners with a pastry brush and letting the edges come up the sides of the dish. Pour a little of the milk-butter-egg mixture—about 4 to 5 tablespoons or a little less than a standard ladleful—all over the sheet. (You will need a similar amount to pour between each sheet and a larger amount for the last one on top.) Sprinkle on a little of the grated kasar or Cheddar. Lay a second sheet on top and repeat with the milk-butter-egg mixture and then the grated cheese.
Step 5
Continue until you have used about half the sheets, then spread the spinach filling evenly on top. To do this, press lumps of the spinach and feta mixture between the palms of your hands to flatten them and lay them side by side.
Step 6
Continue laying sheets of fillo, pouring over each the milk mixture and sprinkling with cheese until you are left with 2 last sheets. With a sharp or fine, serrated knife, trim the edges of pastry around the sides of the dish. Lay the remaining 2 sheets on top of the pie, sprinkling the milk mixture and cheese between them and tucking them down the sides of the dish. If there is too much to tuck in, trim with scissors. Pour any remaining milk mixture over the top.
Step 7
Bake the pie in the oven preheated to 350°F for 30 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown—it puffs up and falls again. Serve hot, cut into pieces.
variation
Step 8
For an all-cheese filling instead of the spinach, blend 7 ounces feta cheese with 7 ounces cottage cheese and mix in about 4 tablespoons chopped parsley or dill.
