Simple Spanikopita with Golden Tomatoes

My mom brought over spanikopita, or spinach pie, for my birthday earlier this week. There is something about thin, buttery flaky dough that is much more appealing to me than birthday cake. The fact that this flaky dough is filled with warm spinach, feta and garlic makes it even more satisfying. My mom used spinach for the filling, but there is such an abundance of other greens that are in season right now like chard, collards and kale that are just as delicious when sauteed in garlic and sherry!

And the icing on the cake (just excuse my utterly lame attempt at a pun) were the wonderfully golden tomatoes I got at the co-op to make a sauce for the pie. Simple and flavorful, it was the perfect addition to thiscomforting meal.

I topped the pie with fresh parsley from the garden and added herbs to give the sauce just the right flavor. If you make the pie the day before, this meal comes together in little to no time at all. And if by some chance you don’t eat every last bite, this is a great meal for leftovers.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds fresh spinach or greens (collards, kale etc), chopped fine 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

2 cups onion, diced 

1 Tsp butter

2 Tsp butter, melted to brush on phyllo dough

3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled 

3 eggs, scrambled 

1 package organic phyllo dough, thawed 

METHOD

Preheat oven to 375. In a large saute pan, melt 1 Tsp butter and add onion and garlic. Cook on medium low heat for 2 minutes. Next, add the greens and let cook until they are tender and bright green, about 3-4 minutes. Once greens are cooked, remove from heat, let cool a bit and strain any juice that remains. In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix greens, eggs, and feta. Lay the phyllo dough on the counter and separate the first sheet and place in a pie pan. Brush with butter then continue layering until you have 5 sheets. Add greens and feta mixture to the center of the pan and fold the corners of the dough to the center. Since the dough won’t cover all of the spinach, add an extra sheet over the center in a rosette pattern. (see photo above) Brush the top of the pie with butter and place in the oven for 20- 25 minutes until golden. Top with fresh herbs and enjoy with golden tomato sauce. 

Ingredients- Golden Tomato Sauce 

1 1/2 lb golden Roma tomatoes, diced into 1/2 in cubes 

3 Tsp olive oil 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 Tsp Sherry cooking wine 

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 

1 Tsp fresh herbs, chopped fine (I used holy basil and parsley)

salt & pepper to taste 

*adapted from 101 cookbooks 

In a medium pot, add olive oil and cook on medium low heat for 1 minute. Add garlic and let saute for another minute. Next, add sherry and the red pepper flakes and let simmer for another minute. Toss in the tomatoes, stirring well so garlic and pepper are mixed in. Let the tomatoes cook down for about 5-10 minutes depending on how chunky you prefer your sauce. Finally, add herbs, salt & pepper. Remove from heat and serve with spinach pie. 

{I like to add the sauce on the side, something to dip into. This way the dough stays flaky and doesn’t get soggy from the sauce.}

-Sarah