SPANAKOPITA
SPANAKOPITA
May 4, 2019
: 100
: Medium
Special note: I have really enjoyed making this dish in large quantity with children. They can crack eggs, break up feta cheese, and they love using the pastry brush to butter between the layers of filo dough. The youngest child I’ve made this with was in Kindergarten. We needed a low stool for her to stand on to reach the counter and she needed to take a few breaks to play with the dog, but she had a good time and asked to come back and help again!
Ingredients
- 14 packages (16 oz) frozen filo defrosted per package instructions (I usually put the frozen packages in the fridge overnight for about 12 hours, they are ready to use in the morning)
- 8 pounds onions
- 4 pounds scallions
- 11/2 cups olive oil
- 2 pounds white rice
- 8 cups water
- 72 eggs
- 8- 32 oz packages frozen chopped spinach (defrosted overnight)
- 4 ½ pounds Feta, crumbled
- 1 cup dill
- 2 pounds plus 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 quart olive oil
Directions
- Step 1 Special equipment. Large fine colander for straining spinach. Rubber gloves for wringing out spinach, Scissors for opening bags of spinach and filo dough packages, Pastry brush or brushes (depending on how many people are cooking), 7 baking trays (approx. 20”x 13”), Aluminum Foil, 3 large bowls, Large cooking pot for sautéing (widest diameter)
- Step 2 Peel and chop onions, rough. Cut off beard and ends of scallions and slice. Use as much of the green of the scallion as looks good. Warm up your largest thick-bottomed pan. I use my pot with the widest diameter and heat it on two burners. Sautee onions and scallions in 11/2 cup olive oil till soft and all liquid is gone. You will need to turn the heat up high at the end and stir constantly to assure that onions do not burn as you cook off liquid. Let cool.
- Step 3 Cook white rice as instructed on package in a pot with a lid. Let cool.
- Step 4 Crack eggs into two of your two largest bowls. (32 per bowl) Beat eggs.
- Step 5 Place 4 pounds of defrosted spinach at a time into your colander in the sink. Wearing rubber gloves (if you are sensitive to the cold) grab a fistful of the spinach and squeeze, wringing out the excess water. Place wrung out spinach into a 3rd large, clean bowl. Work your way through all the frozen spinach.
- Step 6 To the beaten eggs, add strained spinach, feta, cooked cooled rice, dill, cooled onion mixture. The rice will help absorb extra liquid.
- Step 7 Melt butter in a pan, add remaining olive oil.
- Step 8 Open filo. I use one pound of filo on the bottom of each baking tray. Butter bottom of tray, lay down two filo pieces, brush with butter and olive oil mixture. Keep layering in this manner until you have an entire pound of filo on the bottom of each of the 7 trays.
- Step 9 Divide filling amongst 7 filo lined trays. Spread evenly. Now layer one pound filo and butter in the same manner, on top of each tray.
- Step 10 Cut each tray into 16 servings before baking (easier to serve if pre-cut)
- Step 11 Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm till served.