Spanakopita Minus The -Opita

What the what?!  You know, the Greek spinach pie with the phyllo - spanakopita without the phyllo.  "Pita" means pie in Greek....  So I guess it's really more like Greek spinach casserole, but spanakopita minus the -opita sounds like more fun to me.  My ex-Greek-mother-in-law would make a small dish of this for me during the holidays.  Personally, I make this for just about every holiday and party that I'm asked to bring food throughout the whole year.  This is super easy to make and everyone loves it.  Better still, it is gluten-free, lactose-free, and can be served at any temperature.  Since this recipe uses such few ingredients, the quality is paramount.  Use fresh baby spinach, nice and tender green onions/scallions, and the best sheep's milk (naturally lactose-free) feta you can find.  Please, for the love of god, don't ever buy the pre-crumbled feta.  My favorite feta is the French sheep's milk feta cheese at Costco, which is super-affordable.  Costco is a great place to buy the spinach, too.

My last spinach recipe I posted was Catalan Spinach with Raisins, Pinenuts & Bacon (Espinacas a la Catalana).  Hands down, this is my favorite way to saute spinach. Check it out: recipe link here.

Spanakopita Minus The -Opita
Ingredients:

• olive oil, 1/4 cup
• spinach, fresh, 1 pound
• salt, 1 teaspoon
• pepper, black &/or white, 1/2 teaspoon
• dill, 1/2 teaspoon dry or 1 teaspoon fresh
• oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dry (optional)
• green onions/scallions, 1 bunch
• sheep's milk feta, 1/2 pound / 8 ounces
• eggs, 4 large, lightly scrambled

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.  Lightly spray a brownie pan (8x8).  I used my work-horse toaster oven.
2. Heat up a large wok over medium heat, or a large skillet will work.  A wok works best, because it's kind of a bowl and reduces the need to get out a large mixing bowl.  Put in the olive oil.  Grab a large handful of the spinach, chop up the spinach into thick strips and immediately add into the wok.  Saute with a spatula, and repeat this process handful by handful until gone.  This way the moisture has time and space to cook off before adding in more spinach and you aren't overwhelmed with too much on the cutting board.  Chop and cook as you go is the way to go.  Add in the salt, pepper, dill, oregano and mix well.  Chop up the scallions, white end first, add into the wok.  Follow with the green part of the scallions, chopped.  Turn off the heat.  Allow to cool, stirring occasionally.
3. Make sure the spinach mixture is not hot.  Crumble up the feta coarsely and far from perfect and add into the spinach mixture and gently fold in.  This is the time to add in taste, before adding in the eggs!  Adjust seasonings as needed.  Add in the eggs and carefully fold in mixture until somewhat homogeneous.
4. Turn into the lightly oiled pan, smooth top with silicone spatula/spoon, and cook in a preheated (toaster) oven at 375F degrees for about 30 minutes.  The top will turn a nice brown color.  Allow to cool before cutting and serving.  Makes about 9-12 portions, depending how you cut it.

-Erin Swing
The Sensitive Epicure

This is part of Food Network's Fall Fest. Check out The FN Dish.  The summer produce we're focusing on here is spinach.  On twitter, we're tagging #FallFest. Here are other delicious spinach recipes to try out:  

Here’s the link to our Pinterest board:  http://pinterest.com/foodnetwork/lets-pull-up-a-chair/

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Weelicious: Spinach Cake Muffins
Virtually Homemade: Creamy Spinach and Chicken Casserole
Haute Apple Pie: Parmesan Spinach, Broccoli and Chicken Bake
Red or Green: Spinach-Walnut Pesto on Bruschetta with Fried Egg
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Spinach with Sausage, Peppers and Tomatoes
Taste With The Eyes: Spinach and Chickpeas in a Bengali Mustard Sauce
Domesticate Me: Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette and a Fried Egg
In Jennie's Kitchen: Crispy Spinach Latkes
Devour: How to Make Spinach Gnocchi
Dishin & Dishes: Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad with Arugula and Baby Spinach
FN Dish: Eat Your Spinach Sides