Under pressure

As usual, and like all families with children, on any given day, we find ourselves running to and from school, lessons, appointments and the such.

Somewhere in between the running around, we also have to feed our families. I find myself spending many a waking hour, these days, thinking about what I can put together quickly to nourish my family. And, ever since Katie arrived, the sense of urgency around getting this activity completed quickly, between naps/laundry/baths/whatever-crisis-emerged-today has increased dramatically.

The week after Katie was born, our good friend D came to visit. While she was here, she kindly prepared a number of meals to keep us fed for days. Once of the dishes she prepared was spanakopita — which we all, Emma included, promptly gobbled up as it came out of the oven.

And these are the reasons this recipe has come into circulation for us – it’s easy to prepare, is relatively healthy, scales up (or down) so there can be leftovers for lunch or dinner tomorrow, Emma loves it and once assembled, needs no other interaction aside from pulling a completed pie from the oven. What more could I ask for? Actually, more to the point, what more could Emma and Katie ask for? Means we have more time together to read a story or play outside during our last few gloriously warm days of the season.

Spanakopita

(serves 6 as main course, 12 as appetizer)

6-7 sheets of phyllo pastry
olive oil (for brushing pastry)
1 kg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained (the fresh equivalent is, of course, preferred but I tend to always have frozen spinach on hand which means we can make this whenever the mood strikes)
2 pinches of kosher salt
3 or 4 green onions, finely chopped
10 sprigs flat leaf parsley, chopped coarsely
juice of 1/2 lemon
200g light feta cheese, crumbled

Lightly grease a 9×13 rectangular lasagna pan. Preheat oven to 375F.

Lay one of the sheets of phyllo flat into the bottom of the prepared pan. Lightly brush with olive oil. Repeat with another 3 sheets of pastry.

Spread the spinach over top of the phyllo pastry in the pan. Then, evenly sprinkle the salt, green onions and parsley over top of the spinach. Drizzle lemon juice over the greens. Next, top with the crumbled feta.

Lay another sheet of phyllo evenly over the cheese layer and brush it with olive oil. Repeat with the remaining phyllo pastry. Brush the top of the last layer with olive oil (or a bit of milk or beaten egg if you prefer).

Bake at 375F for 30 min. Reduce heat to 325F and bake for another 10 or so minutes until pastry is nicely golden brown.

Tips and Suggestions: