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For her book, Heirloom Kitchen, Anna Gass traveled the country to cook with women who immigrated to America. Her goal was to learn and transcribe their "secret recipes"—you know, the family recipes kept only in your head and not on paper. The book also tells the inspiring stories behind these women and their journey to America. Anna learned how to make this wonderful spanakopita from a woman who immigrated to the U.S. named Nelly Cheliotis (She adds cottage cheese to the traditional feta in the filling, which gives it amazing creaminess.) Nelly loves eating it in the afternoon with a nice glass of wine.
"This is the recipe for the spanakopita you can order at any good Greek diner. It's not what you would find in Greece, but it shows how the American influence changed the original dish to something we have grown to love here in the States. I call this recipe 'Greek Festival' spanakopita because it's the one Nelly makes annually for her church festival." —Anna
Pro Tips from Nelly:
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Clarify the butter for the dough: it is an extra step, but it is very important. It creates a beautiful shiny finish to the top layer. Otherwise, the butter will brown unevenly.
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Make sure the spinach is dry. The most important step is ensuring the spinach is completely defrosted and very dry. Use cheesecloth to drain it so that you don't end up with a watery filling and a soggy final product. If your filling still looks watery after you finish mixing, add a tablespoon of uncooked rice. It will absorb the liquid during cooking, and you will never taste it!
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Get creative: Throw a bunch of chicory or escarole into the mix. Chicory was her husband Tommy's favorite—he liked the way the bitterness counterbalanced the mild spinach.
For another recipe from Heirloom Kitchen, check out this Poppy Seed Cake.
