Recipe: Scrunched Spanakopita

Spanakopita is far easier to prepare when you scrunch your greens with oil first, breaking them down and compacting them more quickly than if you put them straight into the skillet.

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 cups of fresh greens (spinach, kale, chard, fresh mint or other herbs)
• 1 shallot, finely chopped (or about ¼ purple onion)
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ½ to 1 cup crumbled feta
• Olive oil, melted butter or a combination, for drizzling and brushing
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 5 to 6 sheets phyllo pastry, thawed

Method

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Tear your greens into a large bowl, then add shallot, garlic and feta. Drizzle generously with oil or melted butter, season with salt and pepper and scrunch with your hands to combine.

Lay a sheet of phyllo into a deep, 9-inch pie plate, letting the excess pastry hang over the edges. Brush the bottom (and some of the sides, if you like) with oil or melted butter, without worrying about covering it completely, and place another sheet on top at a 45-degree angle so that the points of the pastry lie in between the previous layer’s points. Brush with butter or oil and top with a third piece of phyllo, brushing that, too. Repeat with remaining phyllo.

Pile the greens into the phyllo, then fold the sides over to cover. Brush or drizzle with the remaining oil or butter. Bake for about 30 minutes, until deep golden and heated through.