This is a recipe sourced from Slow Cooker: A Collaborative Cookbook by Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative & Friends. Within this cookbook live 21 vegan, vegetarian, fermented, and foraged recipes to fuel the revolution. We’re featuring a seasonal sensation this month, a recipe for Wild Greens Spanakopita by Sarah Farahat.
You can purchase Slow Cooker via Justseeds Cooperative’s website, here. This recipe is fully credited to Sarah Farahat and the good people of Justseeds. From one co-op to another, thank you!
“Growing up with an Egyptian dad, a Greek uncle and a midwestern mom who spent a lot of time in Italy, meant great eating at family gatherings.
Someone once told me that the plants that want to connect with you grow close to your home. Last year I decided to stop buying greens in the Spring and instead started foraging in my backyard. I found that relationship to be quite lovely and continue to play with traditional family recipes, adapting them to the land I’m currently in relationship with.
I believe this is a common practice for folks in diaspora, adapting and modifying recipes, which leads to beautiful new cultural traditions that honor our resiliency and responsiveness to local landscapes* while remembering our roots as well.
*(Much gratitude and indebtedness to all of the people who tended and continue to tend the land I currently live in, including the Multnomah, Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla, Clackamas, Oregon City Tumwater, Kathlamet, Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde, Warm Springs, Siletz and many others who have been here for thousands of years.)” -Sarah Farahat
Ingredients
- 1 package filo dough
- 1/2 cup or more olive oil
- 1 egg
- 1 cup crumbled Feta or plant-based cheese (optional)
- 1 lb fresh chopped wild greens (I use dandelion, dock and nettles. Wild plants tend to have more concentrated flavor and may be used more sparingly. Please make sure you harvest from a location that has not been sprayed with chemicals.)
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh dill
- 1/4 cup fresh mint
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 large clove of garlic
- 1 large onion or equivalent in wild alliums
Equipment
- Glass baking dish 9″ x 13″
- Pastry brush
- Sharp knife
- Large bowl
- Pot
- Sauté pan
Preparation
- Defrost Filo Dough according to instructions on the package.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Roughly chop cleaned dandelion, dock and nettles; if you are sensitive to bitter flavors blanche and drain the dandelion and dock quickly after chopping.
- Dice onions or wild alliums.
- Sauté alliums till soft with some olive oil, then add wild greens and cook until wilted but still bright green in color.
- Squeeze or press excess water from the greens in a colander and combine with fresh herbs, spices and one egg in a glass or metal bowl. Stir well. Add cheese now, if you would like.
- Unroll filo onto a cutting board and place 1 sheet in a well-oiled Pyrex casserole dish. Lightly brush top of filo with olive oil, add another sheet and oil again. (repeat x 4). Put a damp clean dish towel over the unused filo while in between layers. This pro tip helps prevent cracking as flio dries out quickly.
- Add a thin layer of greens on top of the filo (make sure they are well drained or your filo will get soggy).
- Cover with 4 more layers of olive oil brushed filo.
- Repeat layering process until your mixture is used up or you’ve reached the top of the pan, ending with at least 3 layers of filo. Top with a thin coat of olive oil.
- Place in preheated oven and bake until golden brown all around — roughly 1 hour.
- Cut into squares or diamonds and feed your friends!