Menu Monday...on Tuesday

So sorry this is late.  I didn't have a chance to get this out yesterday.  I am doing a ton of towels for a craft fair this Saturday, like 3 dozen, and that has taken priority over the last 36 hours.  But I did want to get a yummy recipe out there for you from my menu this week.  I am not showcasing last night's dinner because we ended up having leftovers due to some afternoon running around.  Thankfully, I took pictures of Sunday's dinner, Spanakopita.  I really hope you enjoy it!!

Spanakopita

Spanakopita is a relatively  healthy meal.  If you have never had it, it is in English called Spinach Pies.  This a Greek meal and very flavorful.  I am usually not a cooked spinach person, just fresh with my salad.  But a few years ago my husband convinced me to make this and I've been hooked ever since.  I usually like to make it with fresh spinach from my garden, but this time I bought frozen chopped spinach (because my garden spinach isn't ready yet).  Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!!

Ingredients

• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 (8-ounce) package feta cheese, crumbled
• 24 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups melted unsalted butter

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
2. Place the spinach in a wire-mesh strainer or colander, place over a sink and drain well. Use your hands or a paper towel to squeeze the excess water out of the spinach.
3. Place the spinach in a medium mixing bowl. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and basil. Stir in the beaten egg, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add the feta cheese and mix well to combine. Set aside.

   

   Everything mixed together

    
   Now the next part gets a little tricky.  If you have never worked with phyllo (fillo) dough, then you literally need to muster up as much patience as you possibly can.  The dough is a thin as tissue paper and you're about to GENTLY brush it with butter.

• Gently unfold the phyllo dough. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on a large cutting board and gently brush with the melted butter. Place a second phyllo sheet on top of the first and brush with butter. Repeat 2 more times until you have a stack of 4 phyllo sheets with butter brushed between the layers. **It is important to keep a piece of plastic wrap and a damp cloth or paper towel over the phyllo sheets that you are not working with to keep them from drying out.**

What happens when phyllo gets dried out :(

Add butter to each layer until you have 4 layers

What the nice buttery phyllo will look like

damp paper towel over dough to keep it from drying out...further!!

• Using a sharp knife, cut the phyllo sheets lengthwise into 3 strips. Place 1-2 tablespoons of the spinach filling 1 inch from the bottom end of each strip.

cutting dough into thirds

filling on bottom of dough

•  Take the bottom right corner of the strip between your thumb and finger and fold over the spinach filling to the left to make a triangle. Gently pull up the bottom left corner and fold up to make a second triangle. Continue folding until you reach the top. Place the triangle, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the completed triangle lightly with butter. 

fold bottom right corner over filling making a triangle

fold triangle up until you have a straight bottom

fold diagonal to the right and pinch middle of top edge to close

• Arrange the triangles 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and heated all the way through. Remove the spanakopita from the oven and cool slightly on the baking sheet. 

 

arrange triangles on baking sheet and brush with butter

done and cooling on counter :)

I hope the pictures I've included with this are helpful.  I only made one of this recipe because I only had enough phyllo dough for one dinner.  This made 10 spinach pies for us and they are already gone because we love them so much!!

I apologize that my pictures are a little blurry this week.  I was trying to take pictures while my hands were all buttery!!

Let me know if you have any variations on this recipe. I always like to switch things up and try new things!!

Happy cooking!!

Amanda