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heo yeah yum

December 12, 2012

Spanakopita pockets

spanikopita | heoyeahyum.com

You know what’s my favorite part of spanakopita?  The crispy phyllo pastry contrasting with the gooey, cheesy filling.  You know what other food I have a sick appreciation for?  Hot Pockets.  I just can’t help it.  I like food that you can hold in your hand and scarf down as you’re walking.

It wasn’t a huge leap, to make spanakopita in pocket form.  Dare I say, it was made to be in pocket form!

I hope the description of folding the pockets makes sense enough.  It’s so intuitive and you’ll get it, even with my not-so-great description.  On the plus side, I got to use the word “hypotenuse” in a recipe.  ‘sup, geometry?

This spanakopita recipe includes fennel seeds and nutmeg, which may be a little non-traditional, but I love it when cheese has a little something-something to contrast against.

Spanakopita pockets

Recipe Type: snack, vegetarian
Cuisine: Greek
Prep time: 40 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Total time: 1 hour 20 mins
Serves: 8-10
Makes 36 or more
Ingredients
  • 8 oz. phyllo dough
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 pound of spinach, rinsed, dried, and lightly chopped
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled up
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1/2 cup melted and cooled butter
  • 1/2 tbsp salt
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten, diluted with a few tablespoons of water (egg wash)
Instructions
  1. Let the phyllo dough thaw and come to room temperature on your counter top for at least 1 hour prior to handling.
  2. Add olive oil to bottom of a large shallow pan over medium. Add in onions and garlic and saute until the aromatics soften.
  3. Add in all the spinach and cover the pan with a lid, letting the steam wilt the spinach for about 30 seconds. Uncover and stir with a wooden spoon, making sure the water continues leaking out of the spinach. Cook for another 4 minutes.
  4. Pour out excess water from the pan and season the spinach with a few pinches of salt. Set aside to cool.
  5. Add ricotta, feta, egg, spinach, nutmeg, and rest of the salt and thoroughly mix with a wooden spoon.
  6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  7. Cut phyllo dough into thirds, lengthwise. You can eyeball it.
  8. Each spanakopita pocket will use 2 sheets of phyllo. Brush a sheet with butter and top it with another. Spoon about a tablespoon and a half of filling at the top.
  9. Fold a triangle over the filling, trying to cover it as best as you can. Roll the triangle over on itself so that the phyllo sheet is back into a rectangle shape. And then roll it onto itself again, over the hypotenuse. Continue this all the way down the line. Placed the finished pocket, flap side down, on a cookie sheet lined with parchment.
  10. Once the whole sheet pan is filled up, brush all the pockets with egg wash and put it in the hot oven for 15-25 minutes, until they are golden brown.
3.1.09

spanikopita | heoyeahyum.com

spanikopita | heoyeahyum.com

spanikopita | heoyeahyum.com

spanikopita | heoyeahyum.com

This is before the addition of spinach.  It’s really not supposed to be so pale and not-green, fyi.

spanikopita | heoyeahyum.com

 

Filed Under: Appetizer, Greek, Party, Snack, Vegetarian Tagged With: appetizer, cheese, feta, Greek, party food, ricotta, snack

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julia | JuliasAlbum.com says

    March 2, 2013 at 10:31 pm

    Love everything about this recipe, anything wrapped in phyllo dough tastes so good!

    Reply
  2. Jenbeans says

    February 22, 2013 at 9:25 am

    AWeesome photos and recipe and hypotenusing of the phylo – damn yummy looking!

    Reply

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