Spanakopita

{ Challenge 12 : Recipe 22/100 }
Spanakopita Pie & Triangles

Over the weekend I cooked a Greek dish (Izzy as my sous chef) called, Spanakopita for a women's luncheon at a friend's house. It's a spinach based dish mixed with two kinds of cheeses, herbs, spices, and then lined and  topped with phyllo dough. I made two versions, a pie and individual triangles.

It was my first experience with phyllo dough so it was a gamble as to how it would turn out. As far as rolling the triangles, here is a video of how to do so. Rolling is fairly easy but the trick is to pack it on tightly and then gently roll. The phyllo dough is fragile so it tears easy.

Overall a great dish!! I received numerous compliments from it. Another plus is that it's baked, not fried.

Spanakopita

By SilverWolf

Ingredients:

3 tbsp Olive Oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs spinach, rinsed and chopped

1/2 chopped fresh parsley

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

8 sheets phyllo dough

1/4 cup olive oil
* salt as needed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Salt as needed. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.