Spinach and Feta Phyllo Triangles
There isn’t a single family gathering where my mother doesn’t make at least one or two pie-crust versions of spanakopita, and they’re always the first appetizers to go. In Greece, my thea Stella prepares a recipe using a rough puff pastry dough that she calls fila (with an “a”). I use store-bought no. 10 phyllo, a.k.a. country phyllo, and make two-bite triangles.
MAKES 12 PASTRIES/4 SERVINGS
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 ounces (125 g) spinach leaves, thick stems removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
3/4 cup (60 g) halved lengthwise and thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only
4 scallions, thinly sliced (½ cup)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped dill
2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup (90 g) crumbled feta cheese
2 frozen country-style (extra-thick) phyllo sheets (no. 10), thawed
1/4 cup (60 ml) clarified butter
12 teaspoons of lump crab
1. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. In a large saucepan, warm 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes; transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the leeks and scallions, cooking them each in 1 teaspoon of the oil.
2. Coarsely chop the spinach and squeeze dry in cheesecloth. In a medium bowl, mix the spinach with the leeks, scallions, herbs, and half of the egg. Stir in the cheese, lump crab and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. For each phyllo sheet, lay it on a work surface with a long side in front of you. Brush with clarified butter. Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, cut the phyllo crosswise into 6 equal strips. Mound 1½ tablespoons (25 g) of the spinach filling at the bottom of each phyllo strip. Fold the bottom left corner of a phyllo strip over the filling to meet the right edge of the dough, making a triangle. Fold up the triangle to meet the right edge of the dough. Continue folding over and up to the end (see Note). Transfer the triangle to the prepared baking sheet and brush all over with clarified butter. Repeat with the remaining spinach filling and phyllo strips. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until the butter is firm, at least 30 minutes.
4. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush a large skillet with clarified butter and warm over medium heat. Add the pastries in batches and cook, turning them every 20 to 30 seconds so they don’t burn, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Return the pas-tries to the baking sheet, spacing them well apart, and bake, turning them once, until a cake tester inserted in a pastry is warm when touched to your lower lip, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve.
Preserved Lemon Yogurt
Yield ¼ cup
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon preserved lemon, brunoise
Kosher salt
White pepper
- Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and combine.