Spanakopita

Ingredients

• 1 box frozen phyllo (filo) dough
• 1 package frozen chopped spinach
• ~8 oz crumbled feta cheese
• ~2 sticks of butter
• 2 eggs
• handful chopped mint
• handful chopped parsley (optional)
• 4-6 chopped green onions (optional)

Process

1. Move the dough from freezer to refrigerator 12 hours in advance of using it, and then move it from the refrigerator to room temperature 3-4 hours in advance (specific instructions on the dough box, usually).
2. Rinse and thaw spinach. In a large mixing bowl, mix together spinach, onions, mint, parsley, and cheese. Mix in the eggs, add a dash or two of salt and pepper as your creative side dictates, and stir it all up. Set aside.
3. Melt ~2 sticks butter in a small glass or bowl.
4. Set the melted butter and spinach mix near the larger of the cutting boards.
5. Unwrap the dough and lay it out flat on the smaller of the cutting boards. Put board on top of a kitchen towel, and put another towel on top of the pile (to make sure it stays moist enough to work with).
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter baking sheet.
7. Peel one sheet of dough and place it on the cutting board. Brush it thoroughly with butter (don’t be afraid to slop the stuff around).
8. Using the sharpest knife you’ve got, cut the dough into ~5 strips, vertically. (You’ve got plenty of dough to practice this a few times, so don’t worry about messing up.)
9. Place a smallish spoonful of the spinach mixture at the bottom of each strip. Then fold them up like flags (take one corner and fold it over to make a triangle, then straight up, and so on until you’ve folded it all the way up). Place them on the baking sheet and then start over with a new sheet of dough.
10. When you’ve filled the baking sheet up, brush the tops of all the folded spanakopita with butter (slop it around again).
11. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until brownish and crispy. (You can just do it by sight — when they’re turning golden brown, they’re good.)

Source: Eric Simons and family

Spinach: Not just for Popeye.

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• Sweet Potato Pie
• Gluten-free Cranberry Scones
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