Leek, Onion, and Rainbow Chard “Spanokopita”

I love Spanokopita and this leek, onion, and rainbow chard pie is my take on a Greek dish that borrows a bit from this recipe for Greek Leek Pie from Nancy Gaifyllia of The Spruce Eats (thank-you Nancy!). It is not entirely coincidental that it also relies on my latest delivery from Organivores which has contained the most lovely leeks the last couple of times.

Ingredients

• 4 leeks (white to light green parts only) cleaned and chopped in half moons. Leeks are super dirty but delicious so worth the effort of cleaning them. Don’t know how? Watch the video below:

• 1 medium sized onion, chopped in half and thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• I bunch of green onions (about 5), chopped (white and green parts)
• 1/4 C white wine (optional)
• 1 bunch rainbow chard, sliced in 1″ ribbons
• 1/4 C butter (could use olive oil)
• 4 eggs
• 1 C yogurt
• 1 C grated old cheddar (or feta, I had cheddar so that’s what I used)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 package Phyllo dough (I used President’s Choice)
• 1/3 C melted butter for the Phyllo (you may need more)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Melt the 1/4 C butter in a large (and I mean LARGE) sauté pan, I used my massive cast iron pan.
3. Add the leeks, onions and shallots and sauté on low heat for about 20 minutes until the onions are starting to soften. Give them a stir now and then.
4. Add the white wine and that ribboned chard and continue cooking until it’s all nice and soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
5. Grate the cheese.
6. Beat the eggs and yogurt together, season and add the cheese.
7. Fold in the cooled leek, onion and chard mixture and set aside while you get the Phyllo dough ready. Phyllo can be fiddly but once you get used to it, it’s not that bad. Watch the video below for tips – basically all you need is a large work space and a damp (clean) tea towel.
8. Brush a 9 x 12 baking dish with melted butter.
9. Place layer of Phyllo in to cover the bottom (leave sides hanging over). Brush with butter and repeat until you have a layer of at least 6 sheets.
10. Pile the filling into the pan and spread flat.
11. Cover with Phyllo, brush with butter and repeat until you’ve used up the remaining sheets. I stopped too soon so just buttered and layered the remainder and folded it to fit the top to the pan. Make sure your top sheet is buttered.
12. Score the pie into how many pieces you want with a sharp knife.
13. Bake for 30-35 minute or until lovely, golden brown.
14. Serve warm or cold with a salad. Serves 8 decent sized pieces.