Spanakopita

If you've never had Spanakopita before, it's like deep fried spinach dip, except it's not fried - it's baked - and the filling is made with feta cheese so it's actually lighter than it leads you to believe with its crispy, buttery crust and creamy, delicious inside.  It takes some effort to make, but it is not difficult.  You can also make it in advance and refrigerate or freeze until ready to bake.

Ingredients:  olive oil, onion, scallion, frozen chopped spinach, eggs, parmesean cheese, plain dry bread crumbs, nutmeg, salt, pepper, feta cheese, phyllo dough and butter.

Saute the onions and scallions in the olive oil until soft.

Meanwhile, squeeze as much of the liquid as possible out of the defrosted spinach and add it to a mixing bowl.

Shred the parmesean cheese and dice the feta cheese.

To the bowl with the spinach, add the onions, beaten eggs, grated parmesean cheese, bread crumbs, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

And mix it all together.

Then gently toss in the feta.

On a work surface, lay out one sheet of phyllo dough, brush it with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Continue layering phyllo dough, melted butter and bread crumbs until you have four layers of dough.  Slice it in half lengthwise with a pizza cutter.

Add about 1/3 cup of the spinach filling to the end of one piece of the dough.

Like a flag, fold one corner diagonally over the filling.

Then fold the entire triangle over straight.

And then diagonally again.

And straight again.

And diagonally until you reach the end of the sheet.

Repeat with the rest of the phyllo until you have prepared all of the pastries.  Place them seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes until they are flaky and golden.

Oh my.  That is just so scrumptious!  Look at those flaky golden layers.  Incredible!

Copy and paste the recipe below into Word for printable version:

Spanakopita

Makes 12 strudels

1/4 c. olive oil
1 c. chopped yellow onion
3 scallions, chopped
2 10 oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tbsp. grated parmesean cheese
plain dry breadcrumbs
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 c. small diced feta cheese
3 tbsp. toasted pine nuts
24 sheets frozen phyllo dough, defrosted
1 stick melted butter
sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Het the olive oil in a medium saute pan, add the onions, and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat.  Add the scallions, and cook for another 2 minutes until the scallions are wilted but still green.  Meanwhile, gently squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and place it in a large bowl.

When the onion and scallions are done, add them to the spinach.  Mix in the eggs, Parmesean cheese, 3 tbsp. bread crumbs, the nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Gently fold in the feta and pine nuts.

Place one sheet of phyllo dough flat on a work surface with the long end in front of you. Brush the dough lightly with butter and sprinkle it with a tsp. of bread crumbs.  (Use just enough bread crumbs so the layers of phyllo don't stick together.)  Pile 4 layers total on top of each other this way, brushing each with butter and sprinling with bread crumbs.  Cut the sheets of phyllo in half lengthwise.  Place 1/3 c. spincach filling on the shoter end and roll the phyllo up diagonally as if folding a flag.  Then fold the triangle of phyllo over straight and then diagonally again.  Continue folding first diagonally and then straight until you reach the end of the sheet.  The filling should be totally enclosed.  Continue assembling phyllo layers and folding the filling until all of the filling is used.  Place on a sheet pan, seam sides down.  Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with flaked salt, and bake for 30 to 35 mintues, until the phyllo is browned and crisp.  Serve hot.

Source:  Barefoot Contessa