Jim and Ellen Shelton lived in Greece for a time. When we all worked in Acadia National Park together, they made a Greek dinner for our division. It was great tasting fun! They also provided us with the recipes for the dishes they served.

Greek Spanikopita

(Spinach Pie)

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (1 pound 8 ounces)
10 ounces fresh spinach (or 1 package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well.
1 and 1/2 cups feta or ricotta cheese
1 and 1/2 cups grated Parmeson cheese (4 ounces)
1 cup plain non-fat yogurt, drained (or non-fat sour cream)
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 pound phyllo dough (In groc freezer case.)
1/4 pound melted butter
2 tsp sesame seed for topping (optional)

Preheat over to 375°
1. Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the mushrooms and spinach and continue sautéing until the mushrooms have released their juices and the spinach has wilted. Remove from the heat.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cheeses, yogurt, eggs bread crumbs, and parsley. Stir in the mushroom mixture. If the vegetables are very juicy, drain most of the excess liquid before adding them into the cheeses.
3. Assemble. Pile the stack of phyllo leaves next to the baking pan. Melt 1/4 pound butter . Butter pan. Count out 6 to 8 leaves and peel them off the stack in one smooth movement. Lay them in the baking pan, allowing them to drape over if necessary. Put in filling. Lay layers of phyllo dough over the filling, 2 at a time, buttering (you can also use Pam) between layers. After 4 or 5 pair layers, fold the corners of all the phyllo leaves up over the filling, then fold up the sides. Put on 2 more pairs of leaves, buttering between. Tuck top layers down the sides, corners first. Sprinkle on sesame seeds, if used.

Bake 50 minutes or until the filling is set and the phyllo is crisp and golden. Allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing.