Greek Style Spinach and Feta Mini Light Pies

Spanakopita is a Greek favorite. Mine uses olive oil – but not too much of it – and is filling, rich, and with just enough pastry to hold the greens in a pretty, crunchy, delicious package.

Filo, or phyllo (leaf in Greek) is a very thin unleavened dough, that even Greek grandmothers don't make themselves, so it's certainly something you should feel comfortable buying. I like the Organic filo sold in many natural markets, and make sure there are no preservatives and additives in the ingredient list.

Even if you aren't a visual learner, do yourself a favor and look at my photos. It's much easier to show how to fold these triangles than to explain it in words. Seriously, this isn't a difficult undertaking. 

I've also found that spanakopita (and filo pasty in general) turns out better if it spends some time in the fridge before it's baked, so I usually prepare the dish a few hours before the meal, and bake it right before it's served.

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus plenty more olive oil for brushing filo

• 1 big box baby spinach (1 pound)

• 4 cloves of pressed or minced garlic

• Freshly ground pepper

• ½ pound crumbled feta cheese

• 1 egg

• Filo dough, thawed (follow the instructions on the pack)

Preparation:

• In a large pot, over medium high heat, sauté onion in olive oil until translucent and aromatic.

• Add the spinach, cook while stirring until wilted – 2minutes or so – remove from heat and drain in a colander to remove extra fluids. Let spinach cool.

• Move the spinach to a bowl, add the garlic, pepper, feta, and egg and combine thoroughly.

• Prepare your work surface: You'll need a clean dry countertop or large pasty board, space for your filo and a well oiled large baking sheet. Put your olive oil in a bowl or wide cup, with a pastry brush besides it.

• Open your thawed filo pack, gently unfold the sheets, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Make sure the filo is always covered, to prevent drying.

• Take 1 sheet of filo, place it on the work surface so that the long side of the rectangle is parallel to the counter edge. Cut the sheet into two, lengthwise.

• Brush the filo with olive oil, and fold each rectangle lengthwise.

• Put a heaping tablespoon of filling in the corner of the filo strip near you, and shape it like a triangle, then fold the corner to enclose the filling so that a triangle is formed. Continue to fold the filo strip like a flag, maintaining the triangle shape (see photo).

• Place the triangle on the baking sheet, and brush it on top with olive oil.

• Repeat until all your filling has been used.

• Refrigerate the baking pan with the pastries for a few hours, or bake immediately.

• To bake: preheat oven to 350 °F, bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Enjoy! 

Makes 20-24 medium size pastries