Macedonian Spanakopita (Σπανακόπιτα Μακεδονίας)

Macedonian spanakopita is a spinach and feta pita (savory pie) baked in a full tray, not a little triangle for a cocktail plate. The filling is green with winter spinach, leeks, spring onions, and dill; the phyllo is brushed with olive oil and baked until the top is deep gold and the corners flake under your fingers.

The region is the dish's surname. In Macedonia the leeks matter, because they sweeten the spinach without making the pie heavy; in Epirus you may meet wilder greens, and on the islands a different hand with herbs. Here I am recording the northern home tray, the one that travels to name-days and returns with only crumbs.

The method that decides it is plain: salt the spinach, let it collapse, then wring it bone-dry in a towel. Wet greens steam the bottom sheets to paste. Dry greens give you a clean, green filling and phyllo that stays crisp enough to hear when you cut it.

My mother Sofia judged spanakopita by the underside, not the pretty top. She was right. Good olive oil, good feta, and the patience to squeeze the greens, that's the pie.