2 lb. fresh spinach, stems removed
1/3 cup pine nuts
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1 lb. cottage cheese
1/2 lb. feta cheese, crumbled
3 large eggs
16 sheets prepared Phyllo dough, thawed if frozen
2 slices firm white bread made into fine crumbs

Rinse spinach leaves well with cold water and toss in colander to remove all but the water that clings to the leaves; set spinach aside.

In 5-quart sauce-pot, heat pine nuts over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring constantly. Transfer to small bowl; set aside. In same pot, add half of spinach; cook and stir until wilted -- about 5 minutes. Transfer spinach to strainer placed over a bowl to let drain and cool. Repeat to cook remaining half of spinach.

In same pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add onion and oregano; sauté 3 minutes.

Heat oven to 375F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan. To assemble pie, place Phyllo leaves between 2 sheets of waxed paper, then cover with damp towel. (Phyllo dries out very quickly, so be sure to cover remaining leaves with damp towel each time you remove a sheet.)

Remove one Phyllo leaf and place in pan; brush lightly with some of remaining oil. Sprinkle with scant 1 tablespoon bread crumbs. Because the bottom of pan is smaller than the top, fold one short edge of Phyllo in by an inch to fit pan bottom. Working quickly, stack 7 more leaves, lightly oiling each and sprinkling all except the last one with bread crumbs.

Spread spinach filling evenly on top of Phyllo in pan. Continue to oil, sprinkle with crumbs (except the last on), and stack remaining 8 leaves of Phyllo on top of filling. Lightly oil top leaf of Phyllo. With tip of sharp knife, score top sheets of Phyllo, dividing pie into 8 portions, to facilitate cutting after baking.

Bake spinach pie 35 minutes or until filling is firm and top is dark golden. Cook at least 15 minutes before serving. To serve, cut along prescored lines.

Note: When paired with a tomato salad, this popular spinach-and-cheese dish with pine nuts becomes a complete meal.

Serving Size: 8