From my mother-in-law Elaine, her notes in italics
Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 small bunches scallions, green parts included, chopped
21/2 to 3 pounds spinach, washed and thoroughly drained (or use 3 0r 4
packages frozen spinach thawed, drained and squeezed in a towel to get
all the moisture out and then chopped.)
1 small bunch fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
1 small bunch fresh dill, chopped (Except for hard stems)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled (Domestic Feta is ok to use for this
recipe)
3 to 4 eggs, lightly beaten
About 12 commercial sheets of filo, unrolled flat and kept covered with a
damp towel to avoid drying
6 tbsp. melted clarified butter if using or use olive oil for greasing
baking pan and to layer filo
bread crumbs or a handful of raw long grain rice like Uncle Ben's
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat the oil in a large pan and saute the scallions until soft.
Meanwhile, pan the spinach if fresh spinach is being used (cook it
without adding water, then drain and thoroughly and squeeze out as much
liquid as possible and chop. See above if using frozen spinach). Add the
spinach to scallions and stir in the parsley, dill and a very little salt
and pepper. Cook gently for 10 minutes, then cool. (This much can be
done in advance and stored in the refrigerator.) Using a wooden spoon,
stir in the feta cheese and beaten eggs. Now assemble the pie, using
commercial filo. (If using frozen filo, thaw overnight in refrigerator
prior to using.)
Brush olive or butter in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and spread 6 to 8
pieces of filo sheets in pan brushing each one with olive oil like the
layering in the custard pastry recipe above using a pastry brush. (Can
use clarified melted butter, but olive oil is preferred in this recipe.)
Pour in the spinach filling (Add handful of rice or bread crumbs to
absorb any excess liquid that may still be in the spinach prior to
placing filling in the pan. I usually throw in the rice to make sure
filling will not be soggy after baking), then cover with the remaining
filo sheets, brushing each of the 6 to 8 pieces of filo with olive oil as
you proceed with the layering. Tuck the top filo over the bottom and
flute the edges as done in custard recipe above. Brush top with more
olive oil as needed. Using a sharp knife score the pie in squares or
diamonds just through the top layers of filo (this is done to keep the
filo layers from popping up and splitting).
Bake in a moderate oven, 350 degrees, for 45 minutes, or until the top is
golden and flaky. Slice through scored squares. Remove with a spatula.
Serve warm or cold.
9-12 servings