Spanakopita

In a hot and large pot, drizzle some olive oil and throw in garlic. Set on full blast, add half of the spinach and give a swift stir until volume goes down then add remaining spinach and continue to stir swiftly until wilted. Sieve wilted greens, save juice for later use and remove garlic and chop. In a large skillet or sautoir, melt butter and add a drizzle of olive oil – throw in scallion and sugar and sweat for about 5 min on medium heat then add garlic; cook until fragrant – Add spinach and season with salt and pepper to taste (easy on salt). Let cool completely. Meanwhile, puree half of the feta with the eggs; set aside. In a large bowl, gather spinach, parsley and dill. Crumble over the second half of feta and add the feta-eggs puree; set aside.

Line greased baking tray or tart mold with parchment paper. On the cutting board, place a sheet of phylo; oil or butter thoroughly. Place a second sheet crosswise and a third on diagonal like a star shape; repeat until you have 10 oiled sheets layered. Carefully, arrange pastry in the mold pushing down to the sides of the pan. Spread the spinach-feta mixture evenly. Top with 2 or 3 more oiled sheets. Fold leaps toward the center to enclose the pie. Remove spinach pie from the parchment and transfer onto cutting board; cut into 8 portions.

Bake at 375ºF/190ºC for about 45 min. Serve with vinaigrette and greens if desired. Enjoy!

*If using lemon confit: flesh removed and rind rinsed, mince. Add lemon zest otherwise. Whisk all ingredients together. Add some fresh oregano and chopped dill, salt and pepper to taste.