Spanakopita

Recipe courtesy of Kathy Boulukos and Cooking Channel. Original recipe: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/george-and-kathys-spanakopita.html

• Ready In: 2 hrs 40 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 12 slices

Ingredients

• 1  cup butter
• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped scallion
• 2  lbs fresh spinach, picked over, washed and drained (or four 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained)
• 8  ounces cottage cheese
• 8  ounces feta, crumbled
• 1⁄2 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup  minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2  tablespoons farina
• 6  eggs, lightly beaten
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1  lb phyllo pastry

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and saute the scallions until tender.
3. Chop the spinach and place in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat until wilted, about 15 minutes. Drain, pressing out as much liquid as possible. Mix together the spinach, scallions, cottage cheese, feta, dill, parsley, farina and eggs in a large bowl. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and mix to combine.
4. Melt the remaining 2 sticks butter. Butter a 2-quart decorated ring mold (reserving the rest of the butter for brushing the phyllo).
5. Unfold the phyllo and place under plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Remove one sheet of pastry at a time, brush with the melted butter and begin lining the mold (1 1/2 inches of pastry should hang over the outer edge of the mold). Continue fitting phyllo sheets into the mold, turning it as you go in order to make even layers (the sheets will overlap in the center hole of the mold). Use about 20 sheets of phyllo.
6. Fill the mold with the spinach mixture. Draw the overhanging outer edges of phyllo over the filling. Butter and arrange the remaining sheets of phyllo, one at a time, to completely cover the filling; cut out and discard the pastry over the center of the hole of the mold.
7. Place the mold on a baking sheet to catch the butter drippings. Bake until golden brown and puffed, about 1 1/4 hours. Let stand in the mold 5 to 15 minutes before unmolding onto a warm platter. Serve.