This spinach and cheese mina is a layered matzo pie, one of my favorite Sephardic delicacies for Pesah. It is vegetarian, it is waste-free and it is sooo flavorful! Plus it is not only for Pesah, enjoy it for a meatless Monday or all year around!
SPINACH & CHEESE MINA
Ingredients:
4-5 sheets matzo
200 gr cottage cheese (or fresh goat cheese)
200 gr feta cheese, crumbled ( or Turkish 'white cheese')
200 gr kashkaval cheese (or Turkish kashar cheese)
400 gr fresh spinach, thinly chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled
4 eggs
2 spring onions, chopped
1 head roasted garlic (optional)
Leftover vegetables, mashed (zucchini, artichoke, cauliflower, eggplant etc) (optional)
A few tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
In a sauce pot, bring the potatoes to a boil. Let simmer for 15 minutes, until they are completely soft. Drain, Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, Mash them. (If you have any other leftover veggies, this is the time to add them!)
In a large mixing bowl, combine spinach, spring onions, cottage cheese, feta cheese, roasted garlic and half of kashkaval cheese.
Combine the two fillings-spinach mix and potato mix, and mix well.
Beat 3 eggs and stir into the filling, mix until well combined.
Taste and add salt if needed. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
Soften 3 matzo sheets by placing each sheet in a dish of water until it absorbs the liquid and begins to soften and become pliable, Don't let it get mushy.
Put some olive oil in the baking dish.
Place a sheet of matzo to the bottom of the baking dish.
Top the matzo with 1/3 of the filling.
Repeat 2 times with layers of matzo, and the remaining filling.
Soften the remaining matzo sheet(s) with water until mushy, add the remaining beaten egg, 1 tbs olive oil and the remaining kashkaval cheese. Make it a thin dough. Cover the top of the pie.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the top layer is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
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