Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)

Spanakopita is a traditional Greek snack. The name translates to spinach pie in English. It's made out of layers of delicate flaky phyllo dough and a filling made out of spinach, feta, onions, and egg. Sometimes it is made as one large pie and then individual servings are cut. It can also be made into little individual servings by folding the phyllo dough into little triangles. I prefer the latter preparation. It looks really nice and it makes for great little finger food when you're hosting a special occasion.

Spanakopita
Makes: 30 triangles

10 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
4 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
18 oz (2 boxes) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
pinch of salt
1 tbsp butter, melted

• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions, garlic, scallions, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 - 6 minutes until the onions are soft but not brown.
• Transfer the onion mixture to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
• Take the thawed spinach and grab a small handful. Squeeze most of the moisture out of the spinach and then place it in the mixing bowl with the onion mixture. Repeat with the remaining spinach. This step sounds a little gross but it's very necessary. You'll be surprised how much liquid comes out and that liquid will make the spanakopita soggy if you skip this step.
• Add the feta and Parmesan cheese to the spinach and onion mixture. Mix it all together. Taste the mixture to make sure it doesn't need any salt. Add some if necessary.
• Once the seasoning has been adjusted, add the beaten egg to the spinach mixture.
• Now that the filling is done, you can start assembling the triangles. This is the most time consuming part of making these. First, open your package of phyllo dough. Wet a paper towel then wring it out as much as you possibly can. You want it just barely wet. Use the damp paper towel to cover the rest of the phyllo dough while you're working with a sheet. This will prevent the dough from drying out and cracking.
• Brush a baking sheet with the melted butter. Set aside.
• Take one sheet of phyllo dough and cut it into thirds length-wise with a pizza cutter.

• Place a small spoonful of filling at the top and off to the right of one of the strips.

• Now you'll need to start folding. You fold these like you would a flag. I'll explain. Grab the upper left corner and fold it down to the right so that you form a triangle at the top.

• Now take the top right corner and fold it straight down.

• Take the top right corner again and fold it down and over to the left.

• Take the top left corner and fold it straight down.

• Repeat until you get to the end and have a perfect triangle. Place it on the buttered baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining phyllo dough and filling.

• If you're making these a day ahead, you can stop at this step, cover it up with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it. Then place it in the oven the next day about an hour before you're ready to serve.
• Bake at 350° F for 45 minutes. The tops will start to brown pretty quickly. But don't worry, they won't burn, I promise.
• These are great served hot out of the oven or cooled to room temperature.