Spanakolpetes (pronounced Spana-kol-peeee-taaas)
These are a very yummy appetizer you can make in an assortment of sizes depending on your patience level for tedious work. The bigger, 3-inch size are quicker to make, and the 2-inch and 1-inch sizes are well, a bit tedious! Although the bigger size strips are easier to assemble, they do make a small enough pillow to use as an appetizer.
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, minced
2 T butter
1 lb frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
1/2 lb feta cheese, crumbled
6 oz pot cheese OR ricotta cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt &
pepper to taste
pinch of nutmeg (scant!)
1/4 c bread crumbs
1/2 lb phyllo pastry sheets
1 c melted butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Saute onion in 2 T butter until golden. Add spinach and cook over low heat until most of the moisture has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheeses, eggs, and seasoning. Add bread crumbs, adjusting quantity as needed for a fairly dry mixture when completed.
Cut pastry sheets into long strips about 2 inches wide. Brush one strip at a time with melted butter. Keep the unused strips covered at all times with waxed paper and a dampened towel.
Place 1 tsp of spinach mixture at the end of the cut strip and fold over into a triangle. Now fold that little triangle over and over all the way up the strip just the way you used to do to make paper "footballs" when you were young. Place folded (like a flag) spanakolpetes on a baking sheet and brush with more melted butter to prevent drying out. Also, the butter causes the phyllo pastry sheets to turn golden when baking which they will not do without it.
When all the spanakolpetes are on the baking sheet, place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.
Makes about 4 dozen.
TIPS: these can be served hot OR at room temperature.
If you make them the day before, cover tightly and refrigerate. When you pull them from the fridge they will be limp. So just pop 'em back in the hot (425 degree) oven for 5 - 7 minutes and they will crisp up again. Putting them in the microwave to reheat will also make them go limp.
Since they are time consuming to assemble, it is suggested you make them the day before if planning to serve them for brunch or lunch. You can do it in the morning for an evening meal or event.
Also, if you are planning to serve them hot-out-of-the-oven, do be careful NOT to overload the recipe with extra ricotta cheese. Ricotta melts and gets very wet and since each spanakolpetes is sealed, biting into one can cause the hot cheese to spurt out. You want to be sure to keep the filling fairly dry, m'kay?
Merme
