Greek Spinach Pie

Let's be honest. Phyllo dough is a pain in the tush to work with. As much as I love to eat spanikopita, strudel, and baklava, sometimes I just don't FEEL like trying to separate and negotiate the paper-thin sheets. For just those days, I invented Greek Spinach Pie, essentially spanikopita in a pie shell. As it turns out, this dish became an absolute favorite of my youngest son. And I didn't even have to hide the vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1 pie crust
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening or butter
• 4-6 tablespoons ice cold water
• 12-16 oz. frozen spinach
• 1/2 pound feta cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Prepare pie crust by mixing flour and salt together and cutting in the shortening/butter to make tiny crumbs. Sprinkle with water and toss together flour mixture with fork until the dough is just moist enough to hold together on its own. Wrap dough in waxed paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll ball of dough into flat circle and place in pie plate. Crimp edges.

Thaw spinach and squeeze out water. Add other filling ingredients and mix together. Pour into pie shell.

Bake at 450°F for 5 to 10 minutes to set crust, then reduce heat to 350° and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until just set. Cool before serving.