Description[]
Yields about 18 pieces.
Ingredients[]
- 2 x 10 oz pkgs. frozen spinach
- 4 eggs
- 1 pound cottage cheese, farmer cheese, or Greek feta cheese, crumbled
- dash of salt
- 4½ – 5 cups unbleached flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 – 2½ cups water
- 2 sticks butter melted
Directions[]
Filling[]
- Prepare spinach according to package.
- Strain and let cool.
- Combine cheese, eggs, 1 tbsp of the melted butter and dash of salt.
- Set aside.
Crust[]
- In a large bowl, sift 4½ cups flour.
- Add 2 tsp salt and mix with a fork.
- Slowly add the water and work dough with fingertips to form a soft, smooth, elastic ball.
- Knead for 10 minutes, adding more sifted flour or water if needed.
- Do not let the dough get tough.
- Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.
- Split dough in half to form 2 pieces.
- Roll one piece of dough until thin and the size of the shallow rectangular pan you will use for the pie (approx.
- 14" long x 12" wide x 1" deep).
- Spread the dough with some of the melted butter.
- With a knife, draw a small circle in the center and cut from the outside of the circle to form a "sun" pattern with 8 cut sections.
- Turn one piece over onto the circle and butter the top of that section.
- Repeat the same procedure with each section, layering them on top of each other, but leave the 8th section unbuttered.
- Refrigerate.
- Repeat the same procedure with the second piece of dough and refrigerate as well.
- Remove 1st chilled piece of dough.
- Sprinkle with flour and roll out until dough is one inch bigger than the pan.
- Place rolled out dough in buttered pan.
- Add spinach filling and spread.
- Roll out 2nd chilled piece of dough so that it overlaps at least one inch on all sides of the pan.
- Place over spinach filling and tuck edges into side of pan to form a thick crust.
- Brush top with remaining melted butter.
- Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, lower heat to 400°F and bake for 15 minutes longer, or until golden and crispy.
- Remove from oven, cut into squares.