I sometimes have pet peeves, as many of us do and some particularly really seem to tick me off. Now I may be over-reacting in my own head, because I often do this and then I begin to talk out loud thinking these thoughts are only in my head until the person besides me gawks with a crooked look and wonders if it was directed at them.
Gosh that was a long sentence. I hope it made some sense.
What I am trying to get at here is there is an etiquette system. And I am talking about at the gym specifically. Now lately I have been a little more goal-oriented than normal but I do expect the same respect when going to the gym as anyone else. I have learned from much trial and error, that working out and going to the gym can and is actually fun. What a revelation, right? However, when I go there, I am on a mission. I am on a mission to get some sweat going, get focused, release some tension and listen to music that I can not shamelessly admit to. (Ahem….Brittany….Ahem….)
So when I have just finished an upper body workout and am ready to kick my bottom have into gear, the last thing I want to see is the nice lady casually ready her Danielle Steele novel on the leg extension machine. Now really…I can see bringing your book for the stationary bike…maybe..and that’s a stretch, because honestly..how much of a workout are you really going to get? But sitting there on the machine and just reading like you’re in West Palm Beach by the pool. No, sorry sweetie…wrong place and wrong time.
I may sound sorta harsh now..don’t I? So for sake of not scaring anyone away, let me offer you some food.
I grew up on this Turkish-Sephardic spinach pie as a kid and made it recently when I visited mom a few weeks ago. It is so easy to throw together and is perfect for a weekend brunch. We made it with fresh spinach that we then cooked down, but frozen-defrosted spinach would work just as well. The addition of eggs created a flurry and souffle like texture as soon as it came out of the often and the distinct flavor that takes it over is the perfectly salty feta cheese.
Sephardic Spinach Pie
Ingredients
- 6 cups cooked spinach or frozen, squeezed of excess water
- 6 eggs whisked
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup feta cheese roughly crumbled
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese + more for topping
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the cooked spinach, eggs, breadcrumbs, feta cheese and Parmesan cheese. Mix well but gently. Add salt and pepper paying careful attention to salt due to the feta and Parmesan.
- Using a 4X6 rectangular baking pan (or equivalent in size), drizzle olive oil in bottom of pan. Use a paper towel to smear the olive oil all over the bottom and sides of pan.
- Pour spinach mixture into pan, evening it out. Top with fresh Parmesan and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes, uncovered. Test with a toothpick when done. If it comes out clean, its ready.
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Cynthia Abulafia says
March 28, 2013 at 2:12 pmGreat! I grew up eating this too. Some of my first memories are of my grandmother making this dish (she was Sephardic as well from Turkey). She didnt use a recipe of course so it has been challenging trying to recreate it. Sometimes she would add hard boiled eggs into the pie for extra texture: there were several speckled throughout (rising above the rest of the pie). Did you ever see it done this way?
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Samantha says
March 30, 2013 at 6:27 pmMy mom is the same way! She doesn’t use a recipe so as we were making it, I had to measure as I went 🙂 I don’t remember her putting an egg in this dish but she does in other things! I will double check though!
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KareninStLouis says
November 8, 2014 at 5:27 pmHow many cups or ounces of raw fresh spinach to end up with 6 cups cooked? Seems it would take a ton!
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Samantha says
November 9, 2014 at 8:36 amI believe we used 1-2 of those LARGE Costco sized spinach containers!
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Sherry says
April 10, 2017 at 11:00 pmThis was a dish in my family, too. In fact, I made it for tonight’s Seder with matza instead of bread crumbs. I’ve been looking all over the place for the right spelling for this dish that we call Qua-zha-doe (trying to spell out the pronunciation). You can make it with spinach, tomatoes, zucchini, etc. I hope someone can help with the spelling!
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Samantha says
April 11, 2017 at 7:31 amOh I have no heard of the one you mentioned! How interesting!! My mom has said I can make this spinach pie with zucchini instead so I plan on doing that this summer!
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Rosina Santillana says
November 25, 2019 at 7:27 pmCuajado is a Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) term for “coagulated or having curds” and refers to savory baked dishes made with cheeses combined with lots of eggs, a little flour or matzo-meal for binding and lots of grated fresh vegetables – spinach, eggplant, potatoes, leeks, or squash, (as in this recipe)
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Samantha says
November 30, 2019 at 8:03 amThank you for sharing!!
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Lucie says
September 28, 2017 at 3:49 pmMy grandparents came from Turkey and just called it “spinaka,” but I’ve heard it called Quazado also.
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Dana says
September 25, 2017 at 10:28 pmMy grandmother made little pastries called “montiz” (not sure of the spelling) using a similar filling, but with kasseri cheese instead of parmesan. When I was a kid, it was the only way I would eat spinach. Thanks for posting this!
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Samantha says
September 27, 2017 at 11:23 amHi Dana! My mom talks about montiz too though I have not made those…thank you for reminding me 🙂