Need a delicious way to eat your greens?
This Mediterranean Greens and Phyllo Pie is just what your need. This recipe makes a large pie and, with a little reheating in the oven to crisp the phyllo layers, lasts for days.
This recipe is from Martha Rose Shulman’s cookbook Mediterranean Feast: Vegetarian Recipes From The World’s Healthiest Cuisine. You can order the cookbook through your local. bookstore or on Amazon here.
Shulman is the author of twenty-five books and has written extensively about food. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Saveur, and Bon Appetit. She has also appeared on The Food Network.
Here is another Shulman recipe, this one from the New York Times. Here’s the link: Pears Poached in Red Wine and Cassis. Put these two recipes together for a glorious meal.
Here is the recipe for the Mediterranean Greens and Phyllo Pie as I prepared it in my kitchen.
Greens and Onion Pie
Ingredients
- 2 to 2 1/2 pounds greens (I used spinach but original recipe also suggests beet greens and/or red or green chard)
- 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
- Unsalted butter
- 2 C. chopped onions
- 2 large garlic cloves (pressed)
- 1/4 C. chopped fresh dill (I used fennel)
- 1/4 C. fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 3 large eggs (beaten)
- 4 oz. feta cheese (crumbled)
- Freshly-ground black pepper
- 1 package phyllo dough
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 10-inch ceramic dish.
- Step 2 To prepare the spinach (or other greens), bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 T. salt. Add the spinach to the boiling water to submerge and blanch for about 2 minutes. Once the spinach has wilted, remove it from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and submerge in ice water. Then, drain the spinach and squeeze out as much of the water as you can. Chop. Set aside.
- Step 3 Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and sauté onions for about 5 minutes. You want the onions to soften but you do not want them to brown. Add the pressed garlic and cook for another minute. You want the garlic to be fragrant but you do not want it brown. Be careful, garlic will burn very quickly in a hot pan. Stir in the chopped spinach and the herbs. Stir for about a minute until the spinach is coated with the oil in the pan.
- Step 4 Combine the crumbled feta and the beaten eggs in a large bowl. Add the sauteed spinach/onion mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 5 Layer the phyllo dough into the prepared ceramic dish one layer at a time. Brush each layer of phyllo with melted butter. Layer about 7 sheets of phyllo into the dish. Spoon the filling onto the phyllo layers. Fold the overhanging layers of phyllo over the top of the filling. Brush with melted butter.Add another 2 or 3 layers of phyllo over the top of the pie and brush with melted butter, tucking in the edges of the phyllo. Pierce the top of the phyllo in a couple of places and bake in your preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes. When your pie is done, it will be a pretty golden brown on top.
- Step 6 You can serve this phyllo pie hot, warm or at room temperature.
