Spanakopita with Greek Salad

There was a mix-up with dinner tonight: I knew we were supposed to eat Greek salad but I didn’t really know what to serve it with so I made Spanakopita instead of Chicken skewers which I was supposed to make. The problem is we never have what I really need in the fridge to make anything the proper way so I had to get slightly creative…. With only enough Feta for the Greek salad, I had to use Ricotta and Parmesan to keep things cheesy. I’m proud of the way they turned out though because I did have my doubts about the lack of flavour in Ricotta…. Salt is a definitive must!



Spanakopita
(Serves 6, or 4 gluttons)

1 roll of Frozen Phyllo Pastry
1 box of Frozen Chopped Spinach
½ Golden Onion, chopped
2-3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
2 Eggs, beaten
½ cup Ricotta
¼ cup Feta
¼ cup Parmesan
1 tbsp. Parsley, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
½ cup butter, melted

1. Set the phyllo pastry and the frozen spinach out to thaw a few hours before starting to cook (never microwave the phyllo pastry! I did microwave the spinach though).
2. In a bowl, mix the cheeses, parsley, salt and pepper until well blended. Set aside.
3. In a wok or frying pan, sauté onions and garlic in 1-2 tbsp. of oil until translucent. Add the spinach and stir frequently as it heats up. Cook on high heat until most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Let cool a bit and pour into the cheese mixture.
4. On a clean surface, layer one phyllo sheet. With a paintbrush, coat the entire sheet with some melted butter. Layer a 2nd sheet on top and smooth it out with your hands to prevent air bubbles. Repeat with a 3rd sheet.
5. With a pizza cutter, slice the buttered phyllo sheets lengthwise into 2 (or 3) equal parts.
6. Place a generous handful of the spinach mixture on one end of the phyllo length. To fold, pull one of the corners into the opposite side, to form a triangle. Fold that triangle over following the whole length. When you get to the end, fold the small leftover section of phyllo (not long enough for a last fold) under the triangle, place on a cookie sheet, and coat evenly with butter.
7. Repeat the folding step until there is no more spinach left.
8. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes until evenly golden brown. Serve warm with some Greek salad



* Note: I used 3 sheets per triangle for thickness, but 2 also works if the triangles are smaller.

Bon Appétit, or as the Greeks would say “Kalí óreksi”!