The peeps think I'm totes cray-cray for making this one.
Most Sundays, the Hubs and I head out to our little church community group, where we have a study and a potluck meal together. One fateful week, the potluck theme was Mediterranean and I had NO IDEA what to make. So, naturally, I headed toward the "interwebz" for inspiration.
This is what happened next.
So, a side note on phyllo dough: It also goes by the name "filo dough" and you will probably find it in the frozen foods section. At our local mart, it's tucked in next to the pies. You should know going in that this dough is extremely finicky. It dries out quickly, so don't open that package until you're ready to roll. Even then, leave it covered as much as possible. The key to using phyllo is to slather it with a butter/oil mixture (included in the recipe). You'll need some kind of basting brush. A spoon works in a pinch, but it's tricky. Don't be stingy with the butter. I mean it. I almost always make an additional half-batch before I'm finished.
You can use whatever oil trips your breaker. Also, you can use cottage cheese instead of ricotta. Lastly, the spinach is a rather flexible amount. 10oz is a typical bag of frozen spinach, which is a perfectly fine way to go, just make sure you squeeze the liquid out of it before you use it! I keep fresh spinach in the house most of the time, so I just emptied a big 24oz bag of it into the steamer and used that. Whatever route you go, just make sure it is as liquid-free as possible, or your filling will be runny
Have I scared you off yet? Don't worry, we're through the most intimidating part.
What to do? What to do.
First thing, get the filling going Mix together the cooked spinach, feta, ricotta, and egg. Put it in the refrigerator. (It's not the end of the world if you don't refrigerate it, but it does make it thicker and so much easier to roll) Next, heat up that 1st tablespoon of oil in a skillet, and toss in both your white and green onions. Cook them until soft, about 3 or 4 minutes. Mix them into your filling. I sometimes add a dash of salt and pepper as well. Leave it in the refrigerator.
Now melt your stick of butter in a bowl and mix with the remaining tablespoons of oil. This is the lifeblood of your phyllo. Brushes at the ready!
Ok, time for the fun part. Set yourself up a little rolling station. Mine is (from right to left), pile of phyllo, bowl of filling, space for phyllo rolling, butter/oil dish and brush. This gives you some idea...
Ready to open that phyllo? Ok go!
Gently pull out your first sheet of dough. Lay it on your clean, dry counter top and brush it with your butter/oil mixture. Get yourself a second sheet of phyllo, lay it on top of the first one, and bush it with more butter. This is what you see to the right. Those black splotches on the dough is my black counter top showing through. Yes, that is how paper-thin this dough is.
Next, you're going to take the top end of the phyllo sheet and match it to the bottom, folding the dough in half. Then (you guessed it!) brush it with the butter/oil mixture. Do not attempt to reposition the dough on the counter. The less you handle it, the better.
I feel like I should interject that there is no time for perfection with this project. Do not attempt to reposition the second sheet of phyllo because it isn't lined up. It doesn't matter in the end, I promise. Let go of the OCD and embrace the flaws. The same goes for cracks or tears in the dough as you work. Unless you have filling spilling out, do like John Lennon and let it be.
Alright peeps, it's filling time! Scoop a couple of spoonfuls of filling on the bottom portion of your dough and fold the bottom edge over it. Think enchiladas or burritos. That's really what we're doing here. Spanakoburritos.
Carefully fold in the sides, and brush these new exposed sides with the butter/oil mixture.
Now just roll it up like a little burrito and lay it, seam down, in a pan. Brush the top with some more of that butter/oil mix. Do that right away for each roll in the pan so they don't dry out while you're rolling the rest.
Work your way through the rest of your filling or the rest of your dough, whichever runs out first. Let me know if you ever get it to work out properly. I never do, and it's always a surprise which one runs out.
Once you've got a full pan and then some, pop it in the oven at 375 for 30-35 minutes, until they're crispy and golden brown.
Now take them to your potluck and bask in all the compliments! No one needs to know how easy it was...
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