One of my favorite food writers is Melissa Clark of The New York Times. I love her enthusiasm and sense of adventure, and suspect dinner at her house would be especially tasty.

This recipe is adapted from her book In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite (available at my Amazon Affiliate Store). Her recipe is for a phyllo and feta cheese torte. I took her idea of layering phyllo dough in a bundt pan to form a torte, but totally changed the filling.

I call it kaleakopita. It’s a riff on the Greek spinach pie spanakopita. Instead of spinach, I use a mixture of kale, swiss chard, spinach and four cheeses. The presentation is a wow and it’s great for large parties.

And did I mention it’s really easy to make?

 

 

KALEAKOPITA

EVENT: Apps & Alcohol

SERVES: 8-10 as main dish, 16+ as appetizer

Ingredients

1 pound feta cheese (rinsed, dried and crumbled if in liquid) *

1/2 cup whole milk cottage cheese *

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese *

3/4 cup whole milk mozzarella or fontina cheese (cut in small chunks) *

5 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/8 cup chopped chives

3 5-oz. bags mixed kale, chard, spinach, chopped

1/2 5-oz. bag fresh spinach, chopped *

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 eggs

3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, melted

Pepper to taste

Salt to taste (Feta is very salty. This probably won’t need salt. Be sure to taste.)

1 pound box frozen phyllo dough, thawed overnight in refrigerator **

Equipment

12 cup bundt pan (available at my Amazon Affiliate Store)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large saute pan, saute scallions. Add all kale, chard and spinach. Turn the heat off and and just let the greens wilt. Set aside.

3. Remove to a large bowl.

4. In food processor, combine feta and cottage cheese. Pulse a few times to blend.

5. Add parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and pulse a few times.

6. Add the eggs and pulse until well blended.

7. Add pepper.

8. Mix cheese blend into bowl with greens. Add the chopped chives and parsley. Mix thoroughly and set aside while preparing bundt pan. Taste and add salt if necessary.

9. Spread a towel on counter top, line with plastic and unroll phyllo dough.

10. Cover with another piece of plastic wrap and then a damp towel.

11. Brush the bundt pan with some of the melted butter so the inside is well coated.

12. Lay a sheet of phyllo dough across the pan, pressing down so it breaks over the center tube. Keep doing this crisscrossing the dough sheets, so the inside of the entire pan is lined with all the layers of phyllo dough. Let the sheets hang over the sides of the pan. Use all of the sheets of phyllo.

13. Fill pan with cheese-and-greens mixture. Fold the overhanging phyllo over the filling, sealing the bottom of the torte.

14. Using a sharp knife, make about 30 cuts straight down into the pan, going to the bottom.

15. Slowly pour the melted butter over the torte. Don’t worry if some stays on top.

16. Put the bundt pan on a cookie sheet, and bake for 1 1/4 hours or until torte is puffy and golden brown.

17. Cool in pan 1-2 hours.

18. To serve, invert onto a plate and slice using serrated knife.

* A NOTE: I purchase feta, fontina, whole milk mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese at Costco, as well as fresh spinach.

** A NOTE: I have made this using extra thin or regular phyllo dough. Both give you a a great result. The important thing is to use all the phyllo dough in a 16 oz. (1 lb) package.