———————–SEPHARDIC COOKING; MARK———————–
~Jewish, Turkish
1 1/2 lb Fresh spinach
3 Eggs, beaten
1/2 ts Salt
1/8 ts Pepper
1/4 c Matzoh meal
4 Sheets matzoh Water, cold
2 tb Oil
1 tb Walnut, chopped
1. Wash the spinach well to remove sand and drain it. Coarsely chop
the stems and leaves. Mix with the eggs, salt, pepper, and matzoh
meal. Set aside
2. Moisten the sheets of matzoh with cold water, just enough to
soften but not so much that they break up.
3. Rub a heatproof glass or metal baking dish, about 9x6x2″, with
all but 1 teaspoon of the oil. Put 2-1/2 sheets of the moist matzoh
~- big enough to turn up around the edges — on the bottom of the
dish. Add the spinach mixture and cover with remaining 1-1/2 sheets
of the matzoh for the pie cover. Brush with the reserved 1 teaspoon
of oil and sprinkle the walnuts over the top. Bake in a preheated
350 degrees F oven for 30 minutes.
Serve warm, cut into generous squares or triangles.
VARIATIONS:
1. Mix 1/2 pound ground beef with the spinach, eggs, salt, pepper,
and matzoh meal, and proceed as above.
2. Or chop 1/4 pound farmer cheese and 1/4 pound of feta cheese. Mix
this with the spinach, eggs, salt, pepper, and matzoh meal, and
proceed as for the spinach pie. This cheese dish could be (but is
not, traditionally) eaten during Passover, but it is usually prepared
for other days.
In my opinion, substituting sheets of matzoh in place of the fragile
sheets of fillo (which are not kosher for Passover) is ingenious. It
results in a different taste and is an admirable solution for the
kosher kitchen.
Yields
8 Servings