Macedonian Spanakopita (Σπανακόπιτα Μακεδονίας)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •rectangular metal baking pan or tapsi, about 35 x 25cm
• •clean cotton kitchen towel for wringing greens
• •wide sauté pan
• •pastry brush

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt the spinach

   Put the chopped spinach in a very large bowl or clean sink basin and sprinkle with the 10g salt. Rub and turn it with your hands until it darkens and begins to slump, then leave it for 20 minutes. Gather it in a clean cotton towel and twist hard over the sink until the liquid stops running. You should have a tight green bundle, not a damp heap.

   If using frozen spinach, use 900g thawed spinach, skip the salting, and squeeze it twice. Frozen leaves hold water in a stubborn way.
2. 2

   Soften the leeks

   Warm 30ml of the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and spring onions and cook for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring often, until glossy and sweet but not browned. Let them cool for 10 minutes so they don't wilt the herbs or start setting the eggs.

3. 3

   Mix the filling

   In a wide bowl, combine the squeezed spinach, cooled leeks and spring onions, dill, parsley, mint if using it, feta, semolina, and black pepper. Taste before the eggs go in; feta usually brings enough salt. Fold in the beaten eggs last, just until the filling holds together.

4. 4

   Prepare the phyllo

   Heat the oven to 190C, or 180C fan. Brush a 35 x 25cm metal baking pan or tapsi with olive oil. Unroll the phyllo and keep the stack covered with a barely damp towel while you work, because dry phyllo cracks before it reaches the pan.

   A torn sheet is not a disaster. Patch it into the layer and brush with oil; the next sheet will cover it.
5. 5

   Build the base

   Lay one sheet of phyllo in the pan, letting the edges climb the sides, and brush it lightly with olive oil. Repeat with about half the phyllo, usually 5 or 6 sheets, brushing each sheet edge to edge. The oil separates the layers so they bake into leaves instead of one heavy slab.

6. 6

   Fill and score

   Spread the spinach filling evenly over the base. Fold any overhanging phyllo inward, then layer the remaining sheets on top, brushing each with olive oil and tucking the edges down the sides. Brush the top well, scatter with sesame seeds if using, and score into 12 squares or diamonds before baking. Score now, not later, so the crisp top doesn't collapse under the knife.

7. 7

   Bake until gold

   Bake on the lower-middle rack for 50 to 55 minutes, until the top is deep gold, the edges are crisp, and the underside is browned when you lift one corner carefully with a spatula. If the top colors too quickly, cover it loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.

8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Let the spanakopita rest in the pan for 25 minutes before cutting through the score marks. Serve it warm or at room temperature. Don't cover it while hot; trapped moisture softens the top, and after all that squeezing we are not inviting water back in.

Chef Tips

• •Buy feta in brine, preferably sheep's milk or sheep and goat. Pre-crumbled feta is dry and mean-spirited in a pita; it gives salt without the creamy pockets you want.
• •Spring spinach is sweet, winter spinach has more spine, and both work. If the bunches look tired, use frozen spinach honestly and squeeze it harder. Λίγα και καλά: a few things, and good ones.
• •Country-style phyllo is sturdier than the tissue-thin sheets used for syrup sweets. If all you have is thin phyllo, use more sheets and oil them lightly, one by one.
• •The nistisimi version is not a substitute, it is its own fasting pie. Leave out the feta and eggs, increase the leeks and herbs, and add a small handful of rice or bulgur to catch the greens' juices.

Advance Preparation

• •Thaw the phyllo in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours, still wrapped, so the sheets loosen without turning wet.
• •The spinach can be salted, squeezed, and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead. Add the herbs, feta, and eggs only when you are ready to assemble.
• •The assembled unbaked pie can chill for up to 6 hours. Cover it tightly, then brush the top again with a little oil before baking.
• •Bake up to 1 day ahead, cool completely, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat uncovered at 170C for 15 to 20 minutes to bring back the crisp top.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 190g)