Spanikopita

Googums, who is my husband's God-Mother, makes Spanikopita all the time. I love it very much. I like to make it into individual triangles that I can freeze to bake later. I do this because the spanikopita is really only good the day it is made because the filo gets soggy as it sits.

You will need as little as half and as much as a the entire box of the filo dough. If the filo is behaving and not ripping, you will probably use 8 ounces (half the box). When I made the triangles, the filo was tearing and being a real pain. If you have leftover filo dough, you can not store it. Either toss it or make something with it, such as cups (scroll down to read).

After you form the triangles you can freeze them on a baking sheet. When they are hard, transfer to a bag and freeze for up to a month. When you want some spanikopita, take as many triangles as you want (no need to defrost) and place them on a baking sheet (lined with parchment). Bake at 350 F for 35 to 45 minutes.

By the way, you do not have to make triangles. You can make the whole thing in a baking dish. You will need 8 ounces of filo here. Just take a baking dish (the dimensions of the filo dough) and line the bottom with half the filo. Make sure to brush each sheet with olive oil. Arrange the filling and cover with the rest of the filo (again brush each sheet with olive oil). Here is the important part! Cut the spanikopita with a knife before baking. Now bake at 350 F until the top is golden. Cool to room temperature and enjoy!

Spanikopita

16 ounces fresh spinach
8 ounces feta cheese
4 large eggs
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
NO SALT, I think that the feta cheese provides enough salt (some may disagree)

16 ounces filo dough, may only use 8 ounces
Olive oil, for brushing

Combine spinach, feta cheese and eggs in a large bowl. Use your hands to squish the spinach and everything together with to get a compact and dense filling.

Take a sheet of filo and brush it with olive oil. Top with another sheet and brush with olive oil. Repeat one more time. Cut in half to give you two long ribbons. Put some of the filling on the corner and roll it up to make a triangle.

Put on a baking sheet, cover with a towel and continue with the rest of the filling. Work quickly before the dough dries up. When done, brush the tops with olive oil.

Bake at 350 F (in the center of the oven) for 20 minutes or until the filo is golden. Cool to room temperature and enjoy. Store in the fridge and try to eat the yums the same day.

What to do with leftover filo?
Arrange three sheets on top (brush each one with olive oil or melted unsalted butter). Cut out squares and line a muffin tin (small or regular) with them. Bake at 350 F until golden. Remove, cool and store in airtight container. You can fill these with anything sweet or savory.