Spanakopita

These are yummy little treats you can bring to any party. They are kind of a pain to make but you can freeze them unbaked for later use or make them three days in advance if need be. Just throw em in the oven when you’re ready to eat them.

Ingredients:

• 1 cub unsalted butter, melted

• 2 lb baby spinach (I like to use frozen)

• 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts chopped

• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

• 1/2 lb feta cheese crumbled

• 1 egg lightly beaten

• 1 lb phyllo pastry sheets

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tbls of oil in a large saute pan and add half of the spinach and saute until spinach wilts, tossing with tongs.

2. Remove the spinach from the pan and squeeze out the excess liquid.

3. Chop spinach roughly and repeat with remaining spinach. If you’re using frozen spinach you can skip this step and just make sure to thaw it out and squeeze it really good.

4. Pour off any remaining liquid from the pan, and add remaining olive oil.

5. Add scallions and saute until soft.

6. Add in spinach, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for about 1 or 2 minutes, the remove from the heat to cool.

7. Stir in the feta and beaten egg to moisten the spinach mixture.

8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

9. Unroll phyllo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper and a damp towel so it doesn’t dry out and become brittle. Seriously, this happens really fast.

10. Take 1 phyllo sheet from the stack and arrange on a work surface with a long side nearest you and brush with some butter. Top with another phyllo sheet and brush with more butter. (Yes, I know I sound like Paul Dean but you gotta). cut buttered phyllo stack crosswise into 6 (12 x 2 3/4″) strips.

11. Put a heaping tsp of filling near 1 corner of a strip on the end nearest you, then fold the corner of phyllo over to enclose filling and form a triangle. Continue folding strip kinda like a flag, maintaining the triangle shape.

12. Put triangle, seam side down, on a large baking sheet and brush top with butter.

13. Make more triangles using the rest of your dough and filling. (About 60 total)

14. Bake triangles in the middle of the oven until golden brown (20-25 min) then transfer to a rack to cool slightly.

15. Serve hot!

#spinach #horsdoeuvres