spanakopita + salad

See that picture? That is a giant, extra-large pizza pan holding one of the world's most delicious dishes, spanakopita. I adore spanakopita. I love it.

Tonight I tried something new. I used a tried-and-true filling but instead of using filo dough, I made my own crust using the directions from my Laurel's Kitchen cookbook. It was crazy and I made it entirely on the faith that Laurel knew what she was talking about because the directions didn't look like it would work. I mean it called for a three to four foot 1-inch dowel to roll it out with. I had to raid my daughters' closet and take out one of their rods! Then you take the dough and wrap it around the dowel and roll it while the entirety of the dough is still wrapped up! Wasn't it going to stick together and I end up with something akin to a wooden bagel dog? But no, it worked fabulously! I ended up with two three-foot see-through-thin-in-some-places crusts in which to encase my spinach/feta filling. This is now my go-to method for divine spanakopita.

The filling is Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie) from Allrecipes.com. If I'm following that recipe in its entirety (including phyllo dough) I tweak it in the following ways: I make sure the stems are removed from the spinach and I add the juice of one lemon. I also make it in a 9x13 instead of the suggested 9x9. When it says to remove the spinach mixture from the heat and set aside to cool I also drain it of excess water. Lastly, after I've assembled it and before I put it in the oven I cut the dish into pieces. (It's easier to cut before cooking.)

I'm not going to give you the dough recipe from Laurel. It's pretty in depth and has diagrams and is complicated. If you really want it just ask, otherwise you can get the book and have your own private lesson.

All in all? Total deliciousness wrapped up in gigantic super thin crust! Oh! and I made a salad.