Search This Blog

Friday, March 14, 2014

Spinach, green onion and ricotta mini phillo pockets (Spanakopita triangles) (Greek-style)


I feel that I should start this post with a "sorry" for the shadow there in the picture. I should have stepped back a bit while zooming in, but honestly the smell was so nice I felt compelled to lean forward to inhale it better, and the same smell is responsible for why I haven't made more pictures other than this one. :)
But if you make the recipe and taste them, you'll more than understand the circumstances :)
The idea is not my own, lots of people around the internet have their takes on making individual triangle-shaped pockets out of the classic Spanakopita, but I thought replacing the traditional feta with a creamier ricotta would be an interesting twist. And indeed, I didn't regret my choice. The triangles came out way fluffier, creamier and also lighter than I expected. You'll see what I'm talking about :).
So let's cut to the chase and show you how it's done. Enjoy.

Last year: Dill and cottage cheese bread.
Two years ago: Fondant pan potatoes (French style).
Three years ago: Pricomigdale (Romanian walnut biscuits)Salata z Boczkiem (Polish wilted lettuce salad with bacon vinaigrette) and Smoked salmon and cucumber starters.





Ingredients (serves 2 as main course, 4 as starter):
  • 1/2 bunch of green onions
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 300-400 g fresh spinach
  • 150 g ricotta
  • zest from 1 lemon + 1 teaspoon of the juice
  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 phillo dough sheets (the kind used for specialties like Baklava or Spanakopita)
  • 25 g butter


Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the minced garlic and the chopped onions to it:

Fry until softened, stirring once in a while. Afterwards add the spinach, torn a bit into pieces:

Stir for a couple of minutes until it wilts. Then add the ricotta:

Mix well and also add the lemon zest, juice, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix well again. The filling is now ready.
Melt the butter. Roll out each sheet of dough and cut it into 4 squares. Brush them with the melted butter, then add on top another square from the next sheet (cut again into 4 squares). When you complete 2 layers of dough brushed with butter, put a large tablespoon of filling in their center:

Fold each pack into a triangle, then again into a triangle. Brush the top with more butter. Put on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Repeat for the remaining dough sheets and filling. When the tray is full of mini phillo pockets, put into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Take out and transfer to plates.

It's done, dig in! :)

1 comment:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...