Recipe: Spanakopitakia (Spinach Cheese Triangles)

This is a family recipe perfected by my Yiayia. It's the perfect balance of cheese, spinach, herbs and buttery-flaky pastry. Enjoy!

Spanakopitakia
Filling:

1/3 c butter melted

2 shallots, chopped

1 small bunch green onions (with green parts), chopped

3 lbs chopped spinach; drain well, squeeze water out

1 med/small bunch fresh parsley, chopped

1 med/small bunch mint, chopped (use one package from the store)

½ lb grated Swiss cheese

1 lb ricotta cheese

A little pepper

4 eggs, slightly beaten

½ lb fresh Parmesan cheese 1 lb feta

Pastry:
One package of frozen Phyllo dough, thawed in refrigerator
Melted Butter

Mix ingredients well. Filling is ready to fold into triangles or to fill a Phyllo dough pie

For Pie: Butter sides and bottom of baking dish. Cover with one sheet of Phyllo, butter sheet well and cover with another sheet of Phyllo. Repeat until you have 6 layers, end with butter. Fill dish with mixture and spread it evenly. Top with a sheet of Phyllo and repeat the butter, Phyllo, butter process until you have 6 more layers, finishing with butter. Carefully cut through the layers to allow for easier serving. Bake at 350 for 45 min-1 hr, until phyllo is golden brown.

For Triangles: Cut Phyllo Dough into 3-inch strips. Place one strip on table, brush lightly with melted butter, and place another strip directly on top. Repeat until you have 5 layers of Phyllo (do not add butter to last layer). Place a heaping teaspoon of filling at the bottom of the strip. Fold corner to form the first triangle, repeat folding as you would a flag. You will end up with a triangle. Brush top of triangle lightly with butter and store (if desired) by freezing in an airtight container. Once you are ready to cook them, Heat oven to 350 degrees. No need to defrost. Cook for 8 minutes on one side, flip and then cook for 4-8 min on the other side (until browned).

Serve warm. Careful! Filling will be hot!