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A sort of mille-feuilles, or rich, wafer-thin astry with cheese or other fillings. Ismet Inonu, President of Turkey, whose mother was a Bulgarian, has a special predilection for the 'Spinach Banitza', and when, as Ismet Pasha, he was attending a Conference at Lausanne, he gave careful instructions to the Chef at his hotel to make him this favorite dish. Greatly to his disappointment, the 'Banitza' was served flat and long, like an Austrian 'Apfel Strudel', when it should have been high and round, like a mound. After further instructions had been given, however, a piping-hot 'Banitza' was served, full of melted butter, with a delicious crackling pastry, and was greatly enjoyed by the various Turkish and Bulgarian delegates at the Conference.
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| What You Need: |
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3 pound young spinach
1 pound onions
2 cups olive oil or butter
½ cup chopped dill
1 cup chopped parsley
1 bunch spring onions
¾ pound cheese
4 or 5 sheets strudel or very thin puff pastry
Salt
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Remove the stalks of the spinach and wash the leaves in several waters, until they are completely free of any grit.
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2. Take the leaves and cut them up very finely.
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3. Mix in a bowl with chopped parsley, the dill and the spring onions, sprinkle with salt and set aside.
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4. Chop and fry the onions, mix with the other vegetables and the cheese, line a well-greased baking tin with 2 or 3 sheets of the pastry.
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5. Spread the spinach and vegetables on top, shaping into a mound, cover with the rest of the sheets, brush with melted butter and bake in a moderate oven (350°F) for about 30-45 minutes.
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