Spanikopita

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Finely slice the leeks and green onions and add to a large bowl. Mince the onion and add to the bowl along with the olive oil. Finely shred the spinach with a sharp knife and add to the bowl.

Crack the eggs into a separate bowl, and then beat them until fluffy. Add the cottage cheese, feta, cream of wheat, dill and eggs to the bowl with the veggies.

Mix well with clean hands, making sure to separate the rings of leek and green onion and mix the cottage cheese and feta in. Add black pepper (the feta should be salty enough).

Now, work on your dough. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat and then add ½ cup olive oil to the melted butter.

Lay out your filo dough.

Butter a ½ sheet pan with the butter mixture. Tula’s technique was to do a generous figure 8 drizzle and then brush it across the pan.

Peel a sheet of the filo dough off and lay it down on the pan the long way. Follow with another good drizzle and brush of butter.

With the next layer use two sheets of filo and cover half the pan with each sheet (running these the short way), overlapping the first two sheets in the middle. Another layer of butter.

Next time, lay the two layers of filo the long way and then brush with butter. So that is the pattern – the next layer is two sheets of filo layed out the short way again, and so on. Don’t forget the butter in between. There should be about 5 layers.

Add the filling to the top of the dough.

For the top, you will only lay the sheets the long way, with butter brushed in between each layer.

You want about three more layers on top, and then fold the extra filo edges over the top and brush them down with butter.

One final sheet is on top, with a heavy brushing of butter. (there will probably be a few sheets of filo left over)

Lightly slice the top layer of the pastry into squares, and then into triangles – basically you are scoring the top to vent steam.

Bake the spanikopita at 350 degrees F for about an hour, until the filo is golden brown.

Slice through again and serve hot, (but it also delicious cold!)