Taste the Season with Flavors of Greece

Sep 2017

The season is overflowing with ripe fruits and vegetables. Farmer’s markets are bountiful and spinach, one of the healthiest of vegetables, is plentiful for the second time this summer. I love to travel with my senses, and what better way to taste the season and incorporate this leafy, dark, green than with the flavors of Greece. This Meatless Monday I am transported to the Greek Isles with a recipe for Spanakopita.

I have been lucky enough to travel to Greece three times. The first was in college when I went on an exchange program and my budget was paltry. I ate a lot of omelets and fell in love with the taste of the inexpensive spinach pie known as spanakopita. It always seemed like such a complicated dish; all those layers of puff pastry. Lo and behold, my daughter mastered the recipe when she studied in Florence (all those educational dollars put to good use!) We enjoyed her efforts with a delicious Meatless Monday entree. What better and easier way to move towards a more sustainable lifestyle than switching out meat one day a week?

Flavors of Greece-Spanakopita

Ingredients:

1 package phyllo dough

1 1/2 lbs spinach washed and chopped

4 T olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

1 T. ground cumin

juice of one lemon

1 c. feta cheese

2 t. fresh dill

2 T sesame seeds toasted

salt and pepper to taste

Saute the spinach in pan with 2 T. water until wilted. Drain and when cool enough to handle, squeeze out the extra water.
Heat 2 T. oil and sauté the onion. Cook for about 10 minutes until soft. Add garlic and sauté.
Add spinach, spices, sesame seeds {save 1 t. of seeds to sprinkle on top of pie} , lemon juice and dill. Cook additional 5 minutes until moisture has evaporated.
Preheat oven to 325 and unwrap phyllo. Cover with damp towel.
Brush baking sheet with olive oil and separate phyllo in half. Using one sheet at a time. brush each layer of the 1st half with olive oil and fold in half to fit on baking sheet. Continue building layers until you have used 1/2 of the package, brushing each layer lightly with olive oil as you go.
Spread the spinach mixture over the phyllo layers, covering the dough. Sprinkle chopped feta in top of the spinach mixture.
Top the mixture with remaining layers of phyllo, brushing again with the olive oil until all phyllo is folded over the mixture. Sprinkle remaining sesame seeds across the top.
Bake for approx. 30 minutes until the phyllo is browned.

With a salad, this makes a perfect meal to start off the week. What’s on your plate tonight for Meatless Monday? Do you travel back to a destination with favorite recipes? Share in the comments, I’d love to hear.