You want phyllo that shatters over spinach, feta, and dill — the filling moist but not wet, tasting of greens and brine more than of cheese. Cut a diamond, lift it, and listen for that crackle. It is as good the next day, cold, from the tin, eaten with your fingers.
This is the pie that appears at every name day, funeral, and Sunday, and is never quite the same twice. Spinach and feta were what the garden and the barrel already held, so the pita travelled the whole country.
Keep unused phyllo under a damp cloth or it dries to paper before you finish layering. Bake at 350°F until the top is deep gold. Rest the pie fifteen minutes before cutting, or the filling will run.
Method
- 01
Set a wide pan over high heat and wilt the spinach in batches — it will look like a mountain and collapse to a handful, which is as it should be. Turn it with tongs until every leaf has slumped, then tip it into a colander to cool. When you can handle it, squeeze it fiercely until it is almost dry; leftover water will make a soggy pie. Chop it roughly on the board.
- 02
In a large bowl, mix the chopped spinach with the sliced scallions, the crumbled feta, the beaten eggs, the dill, and the mint. Add only a little salt — the feta is already briny — and plenty of black pepper. Work it together with your hands or a spoon until it looks evenly flecked with white cheese and green herbs. Taste a pinch: it should smell of dill and brine, not of egg.
- 03
Brush a 9 × 13 inch baking dish with oil, and keep the unused phyllo under a damp cloth as you work or it will dry to paper before you finish. Layer in 8 sheets, brushing each with oil and letting the edges hang over the sides. Spread the filling evenly, fold the overhang in, then cover with 8 more oiled sheets, tucking the top edges down. Work with a light, quick hand — phyllo forgives speed better than hesitation.
- 04
Take a sharp knife and score the top into diamonds, cutting through the upper phyllo so the steam can escape and the pieces will lift cleanly later. Sprinkle the surface very lightly with water — just a few drops, to keep the top from flying up. Slide the dish into a 350°F oven and bake until the phyllo is deep gold, 40 to 45 minutes. You want shatter, not pale pastry.
- 05
Now the hard part: rest the pie for 15 minutes before you cut it, or the filling will run and you'll have a mess instead of diamonds. I know it smells wonderful — be strong — then cut along the scores and lift out the pieces. It is as good warm as it is the next day, cold, eaten from the tin with your fingers — a fact every Greek household already knows.
