suemunzlinger's Recipe

Spanakopita from Cravings Gourmet Desserts

Category: Copy Cat Recipes (I have not tried all of these recipes)

Yield: 18 servings.

3 cups diced yellow onions

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 pounds frozen spinach, thawed

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pinch ground red (cayenne) pepper

1 (1-pound) box frozen phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions>

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 cups ricotta cheese

12 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Saute onions in olive oil over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Wring excess water from spinach; add spinach to onions. Cook until all moisture has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Add nutmeg, mint, salt and cayenne. Let cool to room temperature.

Let phyllo dough come to room temperature for 30 minutes but do not unwrap until ready to use. Melt butter; set aside.

Stir together spinach mixture, ricotta and feta until well blended. Divide into 18 equal portions; shape into balls and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Unwrap phyllo dough and lay flat. Cover with foil to keep dough from drying out. (This can happen in only a few minutes.) Working quickly, stack two sheets of dough with the long side facing you; brush lightly with butter. Cover with another sheet of phyllo; brush lightly with butter.

Cut the three-layer sheet widthwise into 3 equal strips (each about 9 by 5 inches). Place one ball of spinach-cheese mixture in the center of each; lift dough around filling. Pinch dough together at the top of the spinach to form a pouch, allowing dough to flare out at the top. Place on a baking sheet and brush lightly with melted butter.

Repeat until all the ingredients have been used (making 5 more phyllo stacks and a total of 18 pouches). Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot.


Note: If you need fewer than 18 servings, you can freeze the excess for up to 3 weeks. Tim Brennan suggests two methods. You can freeze the spinach-ricotta balls, then wrap them in phyllo just before baking. Or assemble the bundles and brush with melted butter before freezing (to prevent the dough from drying and splintering). Bake the bundles directly from the freezer, adding about 8 to 12 minutes to the baking time if you're using a conventional oven. (Convection ovens will not require additional baking time.)>

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