Spanakopita. Don't worry if you can't pronounce it, just eat it!

I heard someone on the radio the other day talking about multi-cultural holiday celebrations. It seems to me that pretty much every family is multi-cultural in some way.

Our family is as diverse as you can get. Our children are mutts, they say. Sicilian, Irish, Scottish, Greek, Polish, German, Argentinian, Chinese...a little of everything.
So, "traditional" could mean any number of culinary dishes.
At our holiday tables, there could be dishes representing a number of different cultures. So much the better, I say. As people come into our family circle, they bring new tastes and experiences.
There is a surprisingly large Greek influence at the table from a variety of branches on the family tree so Greek food finds its way into many of our celebrations.
I sometimes use Hellenic food as the basis of some of my fusion forrays, but on the holidays, I stick to the original recipes.
My brother-in-law, Kenny, is Greek on his dad's side of the family. He and I have been discussing the creation of the perfect Spanakopita (Spinach Pie). We call it Pita, just because it's easier to say...and who wants to waste extra syllables when you could be eating.
The internet offers a plethora of recipes. Few of them seem to be quite like the traditional taste we wanted. More often than not, they try to fancy it up and take away the simple rustic flavor.
The recipe I put on the Thanksgiving table this year was simple, but delicious...nearly fit for an Olympian feast. Simple goodness in a filo wrapping.
Don't make this when you are in a hurry. It takes quite a bit of time.

Spanakopita

1 pound of filo dough
1 pound of butter, melted
2 pounds of fresh spinach, washed, cooked and drained
1/2 pound feta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup parsely, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon nutmeg

• Mix spinach, feta and egg. Add parsley, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Grease the baking dish with a bit of olive oil or cooking spray.
• Put a single sheet of filo in the baking dish. Brush some melted butter on that sheet, covering it completely. Add another sheet, repeat the buttering process. Add a total of five sheets of butter-brushed filo.
• Put down a layer of the spinach mixture.
• Repeat the five layers of butter-brushed filo.
• Add another layer of spinach mixture.
• Repeat again, eding with the butter-brushed filo layer.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Keep an eye on it: it is done when the top layer is a golden brown.

Vegetarian.