Spanakopita
Why I Love This Recipe
I love Spanakopita... Phyllo is kind of annoying to work with sometimes... My secret is speed... Use the fattest brush you can find so you can brush the butter on it quickly.
I like to make triangles instead of filling a casserole dish.
Ingredients You'll Need
1 1/2 TB olive oil
1/2 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts
1 shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pounds frozen baby spinach, squeezed of water
Juice and Zest of 1/2 lemon
8 ounces crumbled feta
1/4 cup Mint, finely Chopped (or 2 Tb Dried Mint)
1/4 cup Parsley; Finely Chopped
1/4 cup dill weed finely chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp Mace
dash of Cinnamon
8 TB Unsalted butter, melted
3/4 lb phyllo pastry sheets
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet and place over medium heat.
Sauté onions, shallots and garlic for 3 minutes until soft.
Remove from heat and add lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
Squeeze all the water from the thawed spinach and add to the onion mixture.
Toss in Mint, Parsley and dill... Stir to incorporate.
Combine Feta, eggs, coriander, mace and cinnamon in a small bowl, mixing well.
Add feta mixture to the spinach and stir to combine.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, brush 2 baking sheets with some melted butter.
Unroll the phyllo dough and lay a sheet flat on a work surface, taking care to keep the phyllo covered with a damp, not wet, towel as you work to prevent drying out and becoming brittle.
Brush the sheet with melted butter, and top with another sheet.
Butter that one and lay down 1 more sheet.
Cut sheet in two lengthwise with a pizza cutter.
Place about 1 1/2 TB of spinach mixture in the lower right hand corner of each strip.
Fold the lower right hand corner over to the left side at an angle to form a triangle, then continue as if folding a flag.
Repeat with second strip and filling.
Brush the top of each with butter and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Repeat until all the filling has been used (Should make 24 triangles)
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the triangles golden brown.
Serve hot, warm or cold.