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Spanakopita with Erin


This dish is significant to Erin because of the multiple family and community connections that keep bringing her back to it. Though Erin's family is Jewish, they often spent Christmas day with her Greek godmother, who made this recipe for Christmas and first introduced it to Erin. It was a comfort food for Erin as a child; she ate it at home and selected it from a menu on the special occasions when her family ate out. She also used to eat it at a childhood friend’s house, whose mother would make it in small triangle shapes.

As an adult, Erin and her younger brother decided to visit Serbia to learn about their dad’s ancestral homeland. When their father’s family migrated to the U.S. from Serbia, they worked hard to assimilate into American culture. Erin’s paternal grandmother did not pass Serbian traditions and food down to her children. As a result, Erin’s father did not grow up with Serbian culture. While in Serbia, Erin and her brother ate spinach pita, a dish closely resembling the spanakopita they grew up with. When they returned from their trip, they cooked it and other Serbian dishes they learned for their family. She shared a memory of reconnecting with her roots and rescuing lost traditions: it was really moving to my dad especially because…[he’s] not as close with his family. They aren't as connected to their roots. His mom totally assimilated…so he was emotional about getting taught some of these recipes that he never got to learn that maybe his mom would've been familiar with.”

Because of her emotional connection to spanakopita and because it is vegetarian and a recipe that can be made in large quantities, today, this is a go-to dish for Erin and her vegetarian partner when they have guests over and are doing something special.


Spanakopita Recipe

Servings: ~10
Time: 75-90 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 box of frozen filo dough or two boxes of puff pastry, thawed
  • 2-3 lbs frozen spinach
  • lots of olive oil
  • 2 large yellow onions
  • 8-10 cloves garlic
  • 2 blocks feta cheese
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt (or half yogurt, half cream cheese)
  • 4 eggs
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • optional: fresh herbs such as dill, oregano, and thyme.

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and make sure dough is fully defrosted.
  • If spinach is not thawed, saute it in a pan until defrosted. Then place in a strainer with salt to drain while preparing the other ingredients. The better the spinach drains, the less soggy the dish will be.
  • Dice garlic and onions.
  • In a large frying pan or a pot, heat oil, then add onions and garlic. Saute over medium heat until translucent.
  • Add spinach to pan and cook for a few more minutes to allow water to evaporate.
  • Pour spinach mixture into a bowl, and stir in yogurt and feta cheese.
  • Add chopped herbs if using, then taste the mixture to see if salt and pepper are needed.
  • Once the mixture tastes well seasoned, beat in the eggs.
  • To construct the spanakopita, grease a 9 x 13” casserole dish (or two smaller square dishes) with olive oil. Then lay one sheet of filo dough in the pan and brush it generously with olive oil. Repeat until you have four or five layers of filo dough. Make sure to cover unused dough as you work so that it does not dry out, and try to work quickly.
  • Pour the spinach mixture into the dough, spreading evenly.
  • If extra filo dough is hanging off of the sides of the dish, fold them over to cover the top. This may completely cover the top of the spinach mixture depending on the size of the dish and the dough. If it does not, add four layers of dough to the top using the same oiling method.
  • If using puff pastry, roll each piece out as thin as possible. Scoop a thick line of spinach filling along the long edge of the dough. Roll the dough into a spinach filled log, then roll the log into a spiral. Repeated with each piece, building the spiral to fill one or more round pans.
  • Make sure to put extra oil on top so that the top layers of the dough (both kinds) do not burn.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crispy. You may need to cut into the middle to ensure that the egg is cooked through.