Pick Your Poison Spanikopita

I’m stunned. The ecoli-infected spinach has crossed the US border and is now in Canada. I didn’t think anything got past security these days without a passport and a strip search. Seems green veggies are exempt from this kind of scrutiny. I bet they even get to bring reading materials or knitting.

I’m finding the spinach-dearth a bit like being told not to think of a pink elephant. Try as I might, every time I close my eyes all I see is a giant pink trunk sniffing out peanuts – metaphorically speaking. I’m actually becoming obsessed with spinach, spanikopita in particular, and imagine I’m scooping jade green filling into endless rows of phyllo pastry.

Since chowing down on Popeye’s favourite food is playing Russian roulette with your daily 5-10 these days, here’s a version of spanikopita that uses pre-cooked spinach. I’ve included substitutes for the paranoid.

Pick Your Poison Spanikopita
Printable recipe

Ingredients
Filling:

2 pkgs frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed through sieve to remove excess moisture (don’t pre-cook)OR
- 1 1/2 lbs beet greens, Swiss chard or kale, cooked, drained and chopped OR
- 1 small head broccoli and 3/4 lb of the above substitutes
1 tbsp oil
2 onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 eggs
1/4 cup fresh dill
12 oz pkg (375 g) feta, crumbled

For wrap:

1 pkg phyllo pastry
canola oil or melted butter

Instructions

Defrost phyllo according to package directions.
Saute onions and garlic until soft.
Add to defrosted, strained spinach (or equivalent).
Mix in dill and egg, blending thoroughly.
Add crumbled feta and gently stir.
Brush one sheet of phyllo with oil or butter. Cut in half crosswise. Fold half in thirds lengthwise.
Place 1 tbsp of filling at the top of sheet to one side. Fold corner over filling to form triangle. Roll up, maintaining triangle shape.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush with more oil.
Bake according to package directions.