The cosmos must have decided long ago that I would marry a Greek and cook Greek food for my children.
Even though lapskaus and soda bread are more a part of my DNA than Mediterranean fare, I’ve defied my Scandinavian and Irish background in pursuit of both love and the perfect spanakopita, a flavorful mix of feta cheese, spinach and spices.
Neither achievement came easily.
This path to Greek enlightenment began in my early 20s when I became engaged to a Greek. I visited Greektown on Halsted Street for the first time and feasted on lamb, chicken and flaming cheese. I couldn’t get enough of the summer Greek church festivals. Bring on the kebobs, Rhoditis wine and baklava!
Then there was the spanakopita, delicious in the pan version but heavenly when served in smaller, phyllo-encrusted triangles.
Ultimately, my engagement crumbled quicker than a dried-out stack of phyllo. I didn’t seek out another Greco alliance, but when fate brought me together with my eventual Greek-American husband I ignored history and soon we eloped (my short, quick Greek wedding).
Fifteen years later, the marriage has produced two girls and many batches of spanakopita. Appropriately enough, given this “mixed” marriage, my version has multiple influences. I learned my technique from my husband’s late Aunt Fran, and I adapted a family recipe passed along from my friend Randa, a fellow Greek Orthodox parishioner, who is of Jordanian and Palestinian descent.
At first, my attempts at making the spanakopita failed because I fumbled with the phyllo. The pan version is a little easier to master, but I was determined to learn how to roll up all those little triangles without the phyllo drying out. Eventually, Aunt Fran and experience taught me to take control of the thin pastry dough and show it who’s boss.
Persistence paid off and now the only spanakopita served in our household is the appetizer version. My girls love these triangles because the filling isn’t brimming over with hunks of spinach. They can taste more of the crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth phyllo. And they get the benefits of a green vegetable in a nice, convenient finger-food package–the Greek equivalent of a pizza roll but more healthful.
All the hard work is a distant memory as the girls clasp their buttery, phyllo-flecked fingers around my neck and thank me for the wonderful meal. They are fulfilled. And so is the prophecy.
SPANAKOPITA TRIANGLES
Makes 40 to 50 appetizers
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup small-curd cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
1/4 cup finely diced onion
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley
1 egg
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons Hellenic herb spice blend (see recipe below)
1/2 pound phyllo dough, thawed
1. Clarify: Heat butter in a small saucepan on the stove over medium-low heat. Skim foam from the surface, pour the clear yellow liquid into a glass container.
2. Mix: Squeeze out all water from the defrosted spinach and place in a bowl. Blend in cheeses, onion, parsley, egg, lemon juice, nutmeg and herb spice blend, mixing well.
3. Assemble: Unroll the phyllo dough and place on a cutting board with the side having the greatest width facing you horizontally. Cut into five equal strips from top to bottom. Cover with waxed paper and then with a slightly damp dish towel. Lay one strip of phyllo vertically on a waxed paper-lined surface. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush with clarified butter. Lift another strip from the stack and place directly on top of the first. Brush the second layer with more butter. Place 1 to 11/2 teaspoons of filling about 2 inches from the edge closest to you. Lift up both strips of phyllo at the corner of the filling edge and start folding diagonally up over the filling to form a triangle. Continue folding up like a flag. Butter the entire finished triangle, securing the fold. Transfer to cookie sheets. Continue until filling is used up, working quickly to keep the phyllo from drying out. If the butter starts to congeal, reheat briefly in the microwave.
4. Bake: Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25-35 minutes, until golden brown. (Check the triangles after 20 minutes.) To freeze unbaked triangles, layer them in a plastic container, separating the layers with waxed paper. To bake, place frozen triangles on a cookie sheet and bake as above.
–Adapted from “Karadsheh’s Spice Bazaar,” by Mary Ajalat Karadsheh
Hellenic Herb Spice Blend: Mix 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoon dried dill, 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon crushed Greek oregano, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper. Blend. Store in a covered container for additional uses.
