Weekends are for food lovers

Eating a good meal is, to me, one of life's principal enjoyments.  Beyond the obvious fact that food provides an often irresistible treat for the tastebuds, there are few better ways to socialize and catch up with friends than over a meal.  I was fortunate enough to spend my weekend doing all of these things.

On Friday, I visited Alex, Adam, and Joe in Frederick, where we ate a satisfying, hearty barbecue meal (sans cornbread, unfortunately).  Later, we experimented with a Chesapeake oyster shooter (a mistake we will not soon repeat) and devoured a soft pretzel.  Saturday involved excellent Mediterranean roasted eggplant pizza and a classier than expected dinner at Ming's in Chinatown with Jimmy.

Finally, yesterday afternoon I indulged my occasional urge to spend a few hours of a lazy Sunday cooking.  It's nice to have the time to produce a dish more involved than what is possible on a weeknight.  Similar to (though less ambitious than) the ethnic food feasts that Alex and I tackled last year, I wanted to try something I had not attempted before.  Spanakopita, with its tricky, temperamental phyllo dough but jaw-droppingly delicious payoff, seemed to fit the bill.

So I tackled it, fusing a couple of recipes from online and a cookbook and taking breaks to watch the Terps women's soccer team lose in the ACC Championship game on TV.  Though the entire process (including breaks and baking time) took a few hours, there were no major disasters and the end result was pretty tasty.

Spanakopita

1. Thaw 8 oz (about 16 sheets) phyllo dough, if frozen, in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for two or three hours.
2. Thaw approximately 20 oz. frozen chopped spinach in the microwave.  Thoroughly squeeze the spinach dry to remove as much moisture as possible, pressing between plates or against the hard surface of a collander if needed.
3. Saute two onions, chopped and several garlic cloves, minced, in olive oil until soft.
4. Add spinach, as well as 2 tbsp. flour and dried or chopped fresh dill, salt, and pepper to taste.  Cook for 5-10 minutes, making sure any liquid has evaporated or been absorbed and remove from heat, allowing the mixture to cool a bit.
5. Mix in 1 lb. feta cheese, crumbled and 4 eggs, lightly beaten.
6. Melt 1 stick butter.
7. Unroll phyllo dough and cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel to keep it from drying out.
8. Grease a 9"x13" baking dish.  Lay in one sheet of phyllo and brush lightly with the melted butter.  Lay another sheet on top and repeat approximately 8 times, depending on the total number of sheets of phyllo you have.
9. Spread the spinach mixture evenly on top of the phyllo in the baking dish.
10. Place another sheet of phyllo on top of the spinach mixture and brush with melted butter.  Again, repeat approximately eight times.  Brush the top layer with the remaining butter.
11. Bake 350 (preheated) for about an hour and ten minutes, or until deeply golden brown and crispy looking.

 

The finished creation.  The stuff off to the side is grilled eggplant.