Elsie Navisky's Spinach Fila

Photo by Michael Piazza

Personal chef Elizabeth Navisky married into a family that cherishes her mother-inlaw Elsie’s Egyptian Sephardic heritage—and especially her cooking. This spinach pie is Elsie’s signature dish, a recipe given to her by a close friend who also grew up in Egypt. Elsie’s tip for the filo dough is to defrost the package overnight in the refrigerator and keep it chilled while assembling. This recipe works well for potlucks and demonstrates how global cuisines often adapt to their surroundings, using American substitutions for more traditional ingredients—like cottage cheese in place of a fresh Egyptian cheese. Elizabeth might opt for a local cheese instead, like ricotta from Maplebrook Farm or Narragansett Creamery; you can use whatever you like. The recipe makes two large pies, particularly nice for sharing, but feel free to cut the ingredients in half to make just one.

Makes 2 large pies, serving 12–16 people

3 (10-ounce) packages chopped spinach, defrosted and well drained, or 3 pounds fresh spinach or other dark leafy greens, cooked, drained, squeezed dry and finely chopped
4 eggs, beaten, divided
1 pound small-curd cottage cheese or local whole-milk ricotta
6 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated, plus more to sprinkle over top
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 package frozen filo dough, defrosted in refrigerator overnight
1½ sticks unsalted butter, melted

Mix together the spinach, 3 eggs and both cheeses. Season with salt and pepper.

Brush bottoms and sides of 2 (13- by 9-inch) pans with butter. Place 2 sheets of filo in each pan, then brush with butter. Continue layering until you’ve used up half of the filo.

Divide the filling mixture between both pans and spread out to the edges. Cover with sheets of filo, butter them and continue layering sheets and butter until you’ve used the remaining dough.

Cut into squares with sharp knife—either 6 or 8 squares per pan, depending on how large you want the pieces. Brush remaining beaten egg over filo. Sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano and some more cracked pepper.

Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes to an hour, until top is brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This recipe appeared in the Fall 2019 issue as part of a larger story on the Jewish holiday Sukkot.