Looking for that Holiday appetizer, hors d'ouevres, first course, main course,
that, unless you were raised in a Greek household, probably was not a common
item on the table?  Almost fool-proof, always great tasting, and not the usual
party fare, Spanakopita, or Greek Spinach Pies, are just what you need to add some
exotic and warming food ideas to your next gathering.  You may have encountered
these coming out of a frozen box at some point.. Generally, as will all those
boxes of frozen tidbits, they will all taste, well, the same...I'm not knocking them, they
just don't add anything except filler to your party scene.  Have your guests remember
something, or everything you served them.  You'll be glad you did it.  Give yourself
time to make these treats, not a quick and easy item.  Worth every minute you devote
to preparing them.  Start with 2 bags of frozen spinach, about 2 1/2 lbs.  Boil the spinach
in salted water which you have added 2 cloves of garlic to.  Boil it for about 10 minutes.




While the Spinach is cooking, dice 2 sweet onions in 1/2 stick of unsalted butter and
3 tsp. of olive oil.  Let this saute' for about 15 minutes or so.  It will develop a nice
creamy texture and golden color.  This is an important flavor step.  Slow cooking of
onions adds layers of deep, luxurious flavor to the saute'.  While this is going on,
have your box of phyllo out of the freezer and out of the box.  There will be 2 sealed
rolls in the box.  Keep them away from the direct heat. 
In a large bowl beat 3 eggs, add 1 cup of Ricotta, 3 tsp. of parmigiano, lots of cracked
black pepper, 1/4 cup of fresh chopped dill, 1 tsp. of ground nutmeg.  Mix all together.

Drain the spinach in a cheesecloth or paper towel lined colander.  Let it sit for 10 minutes.
Press on the top of it and squeeze all the remaining water out.  You can't believe how much
water chopped spinach holds on to.  Let this cool for about 10 minutes.  In the meantime,
crumble 2 1/2 cups of good feta (stay away from the flavored types, the're awful).  Squeeze
the juice of one lemon over the drained spinach and add it to the egg and cheese mixture.
Mix it well, Then add the crumbled feta, now taste it and season with salt and pepper
accordingly.


Now unroll the first pack of the Phyllo dough, gently.  Place a damp cloth
over the top of it, the sheets dry out very quickly and can't be used once
they dry out.
TO MAKE TRIANGLES:
Melt 1 stick of unsalted butter and 1/8 cup olive oil together.  Get a pastry brush and
a baking pan.  Gently lift the towel and pick up one sheet of the phyllo. Lay it on your
work surface and brush it gently with the melted butter.  Remove another sheet and
place directly on the top of the first one.  Replace the towel on the dough.  Brush
again with butter.  Repeat this process until you have used 5 sheets.  Pre heat  the
oven to 375 degrees.  Cut with a sharp knife, the buttered sheets in four equal columns
then once across the middle.  At the end of each strip, add 1 tsp of filling and fold
up like a triangle folding it over itself till you can seal the form.  Like a flag folding.




Brush the tops with butter when you have filled up a pan, and bake for 26-30 minutes or
until golden brown on top and bottom.


Let them sit for 5 minutes before serving.  OR you can actually freeze them and serve them
at a later time.  Just reheat them from their frozen state for about 10 minutes or less in a 325
degree oven. 
FULL PAN METHOD:
Line a baking pan with the phyllo, one sheet at a time, buttering each sheet till you have a
base of 5 sheets.  Add the filling evenly.  Top the filling with the sheets, again make sure
you have at least 5 on top of each other.  A 1/2 sheet baking pan will take 2 side by side sheets
and so you will use a total of 10 sheets for the bottom, and 10 for the top.  It should look like this:


Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  When it has cooled for about 10 minutes,
cut into squares.  This can make up to 48 small hors d'ouevres size pieces, or
you decide how big you want your servings to be.


Many thanks to the Holy Trinity-St.Nicholas Greek Orthodox of Staten Island for introducing me
and thousands of non-Greeks to the wonders of Hellenic cuisine...Their Greek Festival every
September was where I first tasted these crispy, briny, dill infused stuffed pastries.  They have
been a favorite since I was a kid, and the love affair is not over yet!