Author Notes
"Our version of matzo 'lasagna' gets the Greek treatment when married with the classic spinach pie. Here, matzo replaces the commonly used phyllo dough, giving the spanakopita heartiness and crunch, and coming closer to how it is prepared on the Greek islands. Serve it as a dairy side dish or a great vegetarian entrée. You may find you like this version even more than the traditional one!"
Reprinted with permission from Matzo: 35 Recipes for Passover and All Year Long by Michele Streit Heilburn and David Kirschner (Clarkson Potter 2017). —Sarah Jampel
Ingredients
- For the sauce:
-
4 tablespoons
(1/2 stick) unsalted butter
-
2 tablespoons
potato starch
-
2 cups
whole milk
-
1/2 cup
grated Parmesan cheese
-
1/4 teaspoon
grated nutmeg
-
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
- For the spanakopita:
-
3 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil, divided
-
1 cup
sliced shallots
-
1
garlic clove, thinly sliced
-
1 pound
fresh spinach or one 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
-
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-
3
large eggs
-
1 teaspoon
grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
-
4
sheets matzo
-
1/2 cup
grated Parmesan cheese
-
3/4 cup
crumbled feta cheese
-
1/2 cup
pine nuts, toasted
Directions
-
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk in the potato starch. Slowly pour in the milk and bring to a simmer, whisking continuously to prevent the sauce from becoming lumpy and sticking to the bottom of the pot. Simmer until the milk has thickened and the starchy flavor has cooked out, 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
-
Whisk the Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, and salt into the sauce. Transfer to a small heatproof bowl, cover with a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate
until fully cooled, about 20 minutes.
-
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a colander with a clean kitchen towel and set in the sink. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
-
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. When it begins to shimmer, add the shallots and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and cover. Cook the spinach, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 6 minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture into the colander and use the kitchen towel to squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Set aside to cool.
-
If using frozen spinach, add it to the pan with the sautéed shallots and garlic and cook until the spinach is dry and the mixture is evenly combined, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside to cool before incorporating into the recipe.
-
Remove the cooled sauce from the refrigerator and whisk in the eggs. Stir the lemon zest into the spinach mixture. Lay one sheet of matzo in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Cover with ½ cup sauce, then spread 1 cup of the spinach mixture over the sauce. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan, 3 tablespoons of the feta, and 3 tablespoons of the pine nuts. Place another sheet of matzo on top, pressing down gently. Repeat the layers, then cover the final sheet of matzo with the remaining sauce, Parmesan, and feta.
-
Transfer to the oven and bake until the feta on top turns golden brown, the sauce puffs up, and the
matzo softens, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove and allow the pie to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
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