Use this recipe as a starting point for your own creations – combine ricotta, haloumi, akawi or any Middle Eastern white cheese with chicory, herbs or any leafy greens.
It’s important to wilt leafy greens well and squeeze out as much liquid as possible so that the filling doesn’t make the pastry soggy; fresh herbs can just be stirred through the cheese without wilting.
The currants add a lovely occasional burst of sweetness to the filling, but they are optional and you could use sultanas instead or leave them out altogether.
These spinach & cheese triangles are best eaten as soon as they’re baked as they tend to go soggy if reheated. You can also use these ingredients to make a large tray of spanakopita (details here).
Makes: 9 pieces
Ingredients
- 3 sheets filo pastry
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
- salt flakes, to taste
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 150g baby spinach
- 100g brined sheep’s milk cheese (such as Feta), crumbled
- 1 tablespoon currants, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes (optional)
- 50g butter, melted
Method
Remove filo pastry from the fridge and set aside in the box to come to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Add onion and a small pinch of salt (remember the cheese is salty) and cook for about 10 minutes, until just starting to colour.
Add garlic and coriander and stir for a minute or so, until aromatic.
Meanwhile, wash spinach, drain well then place in the frying pan over low-medium heat, cover and cook for a minute or so then stir until completely wilted and soft.
Tip into a colander and set aside until cool enough to handle, then squeeze to remove as much excess moisture as possible.
Chop and place in a bowl with cheese.
Drain currants, add them to the bowl and mix to combine everything very well.
Shape into nine balls of roughly equal size.
Remove filo from box and place under a clean, dry cloth (returning any excess to the fridge inside its original packaging).
Working with one sheet at a time, place it vertically on a clean, dry work bench and brush with butter. Cut vertically into three long strips of equal width.
Place a ball of the spinach mixture on the top right of one strip and fold the top left corner across it to form a triangle, gently pushing the filling into a triangular shape under the flap of fillo.
Fold the triangle forward then over to the left maintaining the triangular shape. Keep folding the triangle down the strip of fillo until all the pastry is wrapped around the filling.
Place on a baking paper-lined baking tray.
Repeat with remaining fillo and spinach mixture.
Brush triangles with butter all over, ensuring they end up seam side down.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until dark golden.
Serve hot.
You’ll find a print-friendly version of this recipe here as well as a step-by-step video of a simple Greek salad to serve with them.
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Also read: Lamb Shanks with Yoghurt Sauce
