Serbian Spinach Recipe

So here I am writing a letter to a friend of mine. Yes, a letter, like on paper and everything. I hope I can find a mail box.

When I got home yesterday, there was a letter from her all about how much she likes that I talk about food so much in my letters to her and also about running. Food and running (well, walking) are two of my favorite topics. So I am sending her two letters.

The first one is about food. The next, in its own envelope with a stamp and everything, will be about catching up, training (shut up) for the half marathon (oh crap, that's next month) and anything else I can shove into it for her reading pleasure. I was typing this (I used to write letters to her in longhand - a labor of love, eh?) and I already had been thinking about putting up a couple recipes here for all of you to read and wonder why I don't cook more often (seriously. shut up).

So far I have told her about cabbage with caraway seeds. Yum. And then about soda bread, which is one of my all-time favorite things to make thanks to the whole soda bread/biscuit thing my Grandma Betty started with me in her kitchen. OH I should write about my grandmothers and how wildly different they were. I should talk to my mom about this and do research...

Where was I? I moved on to pico de gallo, which I will be making this evening and then to this dish. There isn't really a theme as I also have mentioned both stew and seafood chowder, but she likes food so it's all good. No theme needed. I went from all that to spinach, which isn't even in season, but who cares?

If you don’t like spinach: knock it off. Spinach is good for you. If you do like spinach: woo hoo! I do not know why this is called Serbian Spinach, but it is and it is simple and tasty. It is from an old cookbook and so, like, it doesn’t say HOW MUCH cottage cheese, but go with 8 ounces and then everything is all broken into coarse pieces: So early-20th century.

The recipe calls for cooked, previously frozen spinach. I don’t cook it…whatever. It’s in the oven for AN HOUR. Just thaw it and squeeze all the water out or use a whole bunch of fresh (that needs cooking) or mix it up and use both (I've done this before) or just cook & drain.

Knock yourself out but keep in mind I am a genius. The original recipe in the book says "cooled and drained" and I figured out the typo all by myself. They just want it dry, I think. Say... if you need explicit directions for cooking, you may want to skip this.

1 carton cottage cheese (8 ounce)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
½ stick butter, broken into coarse pieces (or chopped, whatever)
¼ lb. sharp cheese, broken into coarse pieces (or shredded, whatever)
1 package frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
3 tblsp flour

Combine all ingredients. Bake in grease casserole at 325 to 350 degrees for 1 hour. Reheats well. Yield: 6 servings.