Spanakopita

Have you ever had spanakopita?  It is a savory Greek pastry filled with spinach and feta and it is delightful.  You can buy them in the freezer section at Costco (and probably other stores), or if you're slightly crazy/intense you can make them at home.  They are a bit labor intensive and time consuming....but every time I make them and they come out of the oven so light and crispy on the outside and full of green goodness on the inside, I think, "Yeah, that was totally worth it."  If you are not generally a huge fan of spinach, don't discount these right off the bat.  Yes, the filling is mainly spinach, but somehow they don't taste overly spinach-y.  Not being a huge lover of spinach myself (I would basically never eat plain, cooked spinach), I still adore these.  And if it makes things any easier, you can make the filling in advance and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to put them all together.

Spanakopita

Time to Prepare: 1 hour 30 minutes
Number of Servings: 3 dozen triangles

• 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 pound spinach
• 3 to 4 green onions, chopped (white & green parts)
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried dill weed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 8 oz (or 1/2 package) phyllo dough, defrosted according to package directions

Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a large saute pan, add half of the spinach and saute until spinach wilts, tossing with tongs, about 2 minutes. Remove spinach and squeeze out excess liquid (be careful not to burn yourself), then chop roughly. Repeat with remaining spinach, using 1 more Tbsp of olive oil. Add last Tbsp of olive oil along with green onions and saute until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chopped spinach to the green onion, along with the parsley, dill, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat to cool.

Stir the feta and beaten egg into the cooled spinach mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a baking sheet with some of the melted butter.

Unroll the phyllo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper or plastic wrap and a damp towel so it doesn't dry out and become brittle. Using a sharp knife, cut the phyllo into 2 by 11 inch strips, and recover with the towel. Starting with two strips of dough placed on top of each other, use a pastry brush to brush the top layer with melted butter. Place a small spoonful (1 heaping tsp) of spinach filling 1/2 inch from the end of the pastry. Fold the end over the filling from the corner to form a triangle, then continue to fold up the strip in triangles, like folding up a flag. Continue with remaining strips of dough, placing filled triangles on the baking sheet and keeping them covered with a towel until all are ready to bake.  (You will end up needing two baking sheets.)

Brush the triangles lightly with butter, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Serve hot. (These may be frozen before baking--bake frozen triangles an extra 10 minutes.)

Source: adapted from Allrecipes and Food Network
Produce Used: Spinach, green onion