Monday, October 15, 2007

Spinach Pie


For this week's recipe extravaganza, I have decided to discuss one of my favorite and oldest recipes. The recipe that I plan on sharing with you guys is one that I love so much, largely in part of its anecdotal importance and largely in part of its supreme deliciousness. It is none other than Spinach Pie, often referred to as "Spinach Squares" by my best friends and myself. So, I guess this is where I share the much desired anecdote...

Before, when I said this is one of my oldest recipes, I lied! It is definitely not a recipe reminiscent of childhood, rather the close-knit friendship I have with a group of five other girls I call my best friends...or including myself..."the seis" (meaning 'six' in Spanish...our self-proclamation so juvenile-ly mandated nine years ago). I've enclosed a photo of the six of us just to give you a more intimate look into this story...


Anyhow... one night looooooong, long ago, when the holidays were sneaking up on every high schooler in the America, the 'seis' frequented their favorite bar in Port Jefferson, Long Island. To their complete surprise, they had all drank one too many cocktails and, upon arriving home, found themselves in Jeni's (end top left) basement with insatiable hunger. Luckily, Jeni's mother was prepared for the post-Christmas/pre-NewYear's festivities and mistakenly left her famously delicious Spinach Pie uneaten. To the seis' extreme delight, they discovered this untouched gold, if you will, in the upstairs refrigerator along with all other kinds of holiday foods synonymous with late night binging (or as we 'seis' LOVE to refer to as, "drunk-eating!"). The seis was filled with all kinds of glee as they sank their teeth into Mrs. G's famous Spinach Pie. And so, that night began the many years of decadently over-the-top "drunk-eating" for the 'seis' and "Spinach Pie requests" upon Mrs. G!!!!

To this day, I can't eat/recreate this recipe without a moment's thought in the seis' direction! I love that I always think of these girls when I eat Spinach Pie and will most likely continue to do so for as long as this story remains with me. So, here is the recipe for Mrs. G's insanely good Spinach Pie...

Spinach Pie
2 Pkg. Frozen Spinach (you can use fresh spinach but the frozen honestly comes out great, too!)
1 Cup Bisquick
1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 Cup finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
Dash of pepper
1 clove finely chopped garlic
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
4 eggs slightly beaten
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese


Method: Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease rectangular pan (13x9x2). Mix ALL ingredients and spread in pan. Bake approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown.

The relative health/nutritional value of this dish is definitely something I forgot to discuss previously. Of course, spinach is great for you with all of its iron and cheese can and should be enjoyed in moderation. However, this recipe is one that is synonymous with celebrations and holidays for me...often a time of splurging. So, if you are trying to watch your relative fat/calorie intake, this might not be one of those dishes to leave around when you return home from a night of partying with insatiable drunk hunger.

But, I say, do it up! Enjoy

Robin

3 comments:

Mari said...

We have that spinach pie in Venezuela! Yummy!!!

Robin said...

Yes...this dish is replicated in many countries, indigenous to the region. I understand that Greece has its version in "Spanokopita!"

Bianca the Food Guru said...

Robin..this looks great and easy. I'm definitely going to suggest my mom make this next time company comes over. Ps, I didn't know you were from Long Island? I'm from Garden City South.