Spanakopita Recipe:
(Made for Childhood Dish Challenge)
Ingredients:
8 ounces frozen spinach defrosted, drained
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium red onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 cup loosely packed parsley leaves finely chopped
1/8 cup finely chopped green onions about 5 – white and light green portions
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
3/4 cup crumbled feta about 3 oz
3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
About 10 sheets one sleeve phyllo pastry (1/4 a package), defrosted
Instructions:
Filling:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring regularly, until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes
Add the garlic and dill. Cook with the onions, stirring frequently, until caramelized and soft, about 5 more minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
Squeeze the defrosted spinach to drain all the water possible. You should end up with around 1 cup of spinach. Transfer to the skillet on top of the onion mixture.
Add the parsley, green onions, lemon zest, ground pepper, feta cheese to the skillet and stir to distribute mixture evenly.
Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
On a clean surface, roll out the phyllo pastry. Cut into 2 ½-3” wide strips lengthwise using a pizza cutter. Cover the pastry with a barely damp towel to prevent it from drying out.
On a clean surface, layout 1 layer of phyllo pastry and brush it down with a small amount of butter using a pastry brush and very gentle motions.
Place a second layer of pastry directly on top of the first and brush that with a small amount of butter.
In one corner of the pastry layers, place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling mixture. Squish it into an approximate triangle that nearly reaches the edges.
Fold the corner of the pasty with the filling over to reach the nearest opposite edge of the pastry. Then, roll the filling triangle towards the empty end of the pastry. Again, fold the triangle to the nearest opposite side. Repeat these last two steps until you reach the end of the pastry rectangle.
Place the triangle on the prepared baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Repeat the assembly with all the pastry sheets and filling. The triangles can be placed fairly close together on the baking sheet, about ½”.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving