Huh? Oh, right, that’s supposed to be “spanakopita,” as in the delicious Greek spinach and phyllo concoction, but my mind tends to twist the word in a creative way. I can’t see or say the word without “spank it oh pita” popping into my head, and now I’ve corrupted you, too. (You can thank me later.)
Anyhow, with only a bit of help from yours truly, Matthew made spanakopita on Saturday night, using the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe. This recipe yields a delicious spinach pie, which of course we double (after baking and cooling, we cut one pie into wedges and pop it in the freezer for future meals). For a double recipe, we go a little light on the feta cheese (we used about 3/4 lb instead of 1 lb for the double), and the 1/4 lb (1 stick) of melted butter for the phyllo in a single recipe is plenty for a double recipe.

The directions say to “cool completely and serve at room temperature,” but we never wait that long. We can always eat the leftovers at room temperature 😉

We enjoyed our distinctly not cool spanakopita with a side of the most delicious oranges ever. Local Harvest had a limited quantity of citrus that someone brought directly from California after a trip — not at all local, but perhaps the freshest and most truly ripe oranges I’ve had the pleasure to eat. They were also organic and unwaxed, so I zested each and every one before eating.
OMG you’re making me hungry again!! There used to be a little pizza joint near where I worked that was partially owned by this Greek guy. He used to make the most amazing “spinach cazlones” which were really personal sized spanakopita smothered in marinara sauce. Absolutely to die for! I may have to go spank me some pita tonight!
Wow – that looks delicious!