Ifigenia Lomvardea has led a remarkably active life. Born in Greece in 1932, she raised three daughters and is a proud grandmother to five grandchildren. She became a widow at the age of 50. Always sociable, Ifigenia continues to enjoy playing cards with her friends. During the summer, she swims in the sea and shops for fresh produce at the local farmers' market.
Ifigenia attributes her longevity to a wholesome, home-cooked diet, a daily glass of fresh orange juice, an active social life, a good sense of humor, and a close-knit family. Her all-time favorite recipe is spinach pie, which she generously shares with us below.
Serves: 8
Active Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 1.5 hrs
Serve warm as an appetizer or main dish
Step 1: making the filling
Three 200 gram/ 7oz bags of fresh spinach
5 eggs
bunch of dill
large onion
1 clove of garlic
150 grams / 6oz feta cheese
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
To start with, dice one large onion. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot and saute the onion and the minced garlic until tender. Add spinach, salt, pepper, and finely chopped dill; mix well to combine. Cover and cook over medium heat until spinach is tender. Drain well. Allow to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until blended. Add chopped feta cheese.
Step 2: Homemade or packaged phyllo dough
Making your own phyllo dough is more fun and healthier than buying it frozen from the store.
30 minutes prep time. Total 2 hours.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
5 teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon fine salt
¾ cup warm water (110 degrees F/43 degrees C)
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
Starch Mixture:
½ cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Directions: Gather all ingredients.
Put 2 cups of flour into a mixing bowl, create a well in the middle, pour in olive oil, and add salt. Then pour in warm water and white wine vinegar, mix until dough just comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 1 to 2 minutes.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it until smooth, adding just enough flour to prevent sticking to the surface or your hands, for 2 to 3 minutes. Keep kneading until the dough becomes supple and elastic, which should take about 5 more minutes.
Wrap dough ball in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature, about 1 to 2 hours.
Use a kitchen scale to separate the dough into twenty portions, each weighing 25 grams; shape each piece into a ball. Arrange them on a plate and cover with plastic wrap to stop the dough balls from drying out as you start rolling them.
In a bowl, combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of flour. Sprinkle the cornstarch mixture on a work surface and on the first dough ball.
Flatten the first ball and roll out into a circle, about 5 inches in diameter. Dust again with cornstarch mixture. Set circle to one side. Roll out 4 more dough balls to about the same diameter and stack them on the first one, dusting each layer with more cornstarch mixture to keep them from sticking together.
Once you have 5 circles, roll the stack into a larger circle approximately twice the size, rotating as you go to keep a round shape. Separate each layer and arrange the circles. Add more cornstarch mixture if necessary and restack them.
Roll again until the stack is paper-thin, about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.
Step 3: Putting it all together
Mix the egg mixture and spinach mixture together.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/ 180C
Oil a baking pan. Place one sheet of phyllo in the pan and brush with olive oil. Continue layering phyllo brushed with oil until half of the phyllo is used.
Spread the spinach, egg mixture over the phyllo. Top with the remaining sheets of phyllo, again brushing each sheet with oil. Pour remaining olive oil over the top.
Score and bake at 350F/180 C for about 30 minutes or until golden. Serve hot.
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