We all love those tasty little Spanakopita triangles as hors d'oeuvres. Now you can have it as a side dish for a fraction of the work!
No fussy cutting of dough, wrapping triangles etc. Using phyllo pastry you can use a similar filling, roll it all up and voilà...you have a tasty, rather elegant side dish.
I served it with a variation of Easiest Ever Greek Tenderloin by marinating chicken instead.
At first I didn't plan to publish the Easiest Ever recipe but it got a great response. So... people are definitely looking for easy!
The phyllo pastry makes this a bit elegant so it is a great dish for entertaining ... and it doesn't get much easier than this!
The other thing is - who on earth decided the quantity in a package of phyllo dough?? I always have a lot left over and it DOES NOT keep. Oh...maybe it's the quantity needed for traditional baklava?
That appears to be the case- but if you are not making baklava you are going to have extra. Check out these recipes to make with your leftover phyllo:
Prosciutto and Pepper Phyllo Cups
Wine Pairing for Spanakopita Strudel
My recommendation here is the same as for Halloumi Kebabs.The saltiness of the cheese here cries out for something crisp to offset it. A Sauvignon Blanc would go well. A Pinot Grigio would work as well. A Greek Assyrtiko would be excellent and in keeping with the theme!
A dry Rosé with some herbal tones would be good as well.
Red would be very tricky here - salt accentuates the alcohol in the wine and tannins accentuate the saltiness of the food. You might get away with a light bodied, low tanning red - the kind that recommends chilling before drinking - like a light Beaujolais or light Valpolicella Classico.
Spanakopita Strudel
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon dried dill or ¼ cup fresh, minced
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup green onions, chopped about 2 bunches
- 7 oz feta cheese, crumbled about 1 ½ cups
- 10 sheets phyllo pastry
- 4 tablespoon melted butter
- 2 Tbsps canola oil see note below if you want to lighten the recipe
- 10 sheets phyllo pastry
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk eggs till well blended. Add Parmesan, dill, pepper, nutmeg, green onions and feta. Mix well.
- Place one sheet of phyllo on your work surface. Mix the melted butter and oil. Brush the phyllo sheet lightly. Repeat 4 more times. (See note below if you want to lighten the recipe). Keep remaining phyllo sheets covered as you go with a damp tea towel so the don't dry out.
- Form a log with half the filling mixture 2" inside the long edge of parchment. Fold the short edges in over the filling. Roll pastry carefully. Finish with seam side down.
- Repeat above for second strudel.
- Brush top of strudels with butter mixture. Make a few slits across top of strudel. Bake about 25 minutes till pastry is golden brown and filling is heated through.
- You can make ahead and reheat in a 350° oven for about 20 minutes. You can also freeze the strudel unbaked. To cook from frozen bake on a baking sheet at 375° about 40 minutes. Check that pastry is golden and filling is evenly heated.
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