Spanakopita, literally Spinach Pita (Pita from the Arabic, but meaning “pie”), otherwise known as Greek Quiche or merely Down Home Spinach Pie, for those linguistically challenged of you out there, comes from Greece. I like to have a few alternative names on the tip of my tongue ready to go for this one as after a few bottles of Retsina or Ouzo, Spana-KO-pita doesn’t really flow over the lips like the Styx, you feel me?
I first tasted this ancient delight on the Greek Isle of Mykonos in 2000 in the kitchen of the Greek Mama Anna who rented us our apartment and also owned the hotel we swam and drank our daily pool drinks at. She also taught me the fine art of how to make Tzatziki, something I have since passed on to my own chosen few. And it was during that impromptu lesson in her antique-laden kitchen when I espied a casserole dish half full from the previous night’s dinner laying out on that vast kitchen table altar of oak. Of course she saw me eyeing it hungrily while chiding me to be sure not to add too much garlic to the Tzatziki.
“Yes mama.” Me panting like a wolf in Brett’s clothing, pointing down. “What’s this?”
“Spanakopita, baby. Is how my mama and her mama, so on and on, feed her babies. Here, silly boy, stop talking, eat.”
I’ve never been tempted to make it, haven’t even thought about it since then, as it formed a part of my Greek Isle experience and stayed back with the clubbing-till-dawn-breaking-ribs-driving-naked-on-scooters-ouzo-soaked-feta-filled-souvlaki-lovefest that was my month in Mykonos. That is until I found a shop within hitching distance with such a tantalizing, and oddly ominous, array of international products, that I became catalyzed into action. And though Japan is probably the most stubborn of (semi-) First World countries in that the contents of its grocery stores all largely resemble one another, even here there are occasionally eyes in the frustrating culinarily homogenous storm. Generally though, anything off the menu pallet-wise just doesn’t compute and therefore isn’t sold. The sad fact is that this includes most foods in the world. Especially Greek food. Hell, most of my students don’t even know a place/people called “Greece/Greek” exists, let alone the mastery of centuries old savory gastronomics known as Greek Cuisine.
Let’s get started.
2 lbs. (900 g) chopped leaf spinach
1 large red onion, finely chopped
A few cloves of roasted garlic
1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil
Pinches of salt, fresh grated black pepper
1 Cup chopped scallions
1/2 Cup minced fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. minced fresh dill
1/4 Tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
3/4 Cup (200 g) feta cheese
1/4 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
4 large eggs
5 to 10 phyllo leaves
1/2 Cup clarified butter
Wash, drain, cut and steam spinach, then cool and squeeze out all excess water. Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat in the olive oil until soft, then add the chives, cooking until tender. Take off heat, stir in the parsley, dill and nutmeg. Once mixed, add the spinach, cheeses and lemon juice, stirring thoroughly. Beat the eggs separately and – gently – combine with the spinach mixture. Set aside. With the clarified butter (ghee) coat a whatever-size-you-have baking pan/glassware and lay the leaves of phyllo side by side, making a pie bed covering the glassware floor, buttering each individual sheet. Add half of the spinach mixture. Top with another layer of phyllo leaves, again buttering each individual sheet and add the remaining spinach mixture on top of that, finishing it off with a final layer of phyllo, to be tucked in at the edges and drizzled in whatever remaing butter & cheese droppings you have. You can then cover pan with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes before baking at 350F oven for 45 minutes – 1 hour or until puffy and golden. That or just put it in the damn oven. Cool for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with Tzatziki, a nice cool Greek salad & don’t forget the Kalamata. Wash it all down with some good Greek wine, Ouzo, or failing that, some good Sicilian table wine to get the Mediterranean island vibe.
Serves me & someone beautiful, plus leftovers for tomorrow.
