Spanakopita Triangles with Dill, Feta & Scallion

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Crackly flag-folded phyllo parcels packed with a bright green filling of wilted spinach, three fresh herbs, sheep's-milk feta and lemon zest. The whole trick is a filling squeezed bone-dry so the pastry shatters instead of steaming — and layering butter with olive oil so the shells brown deeply and stay crisp for hours. Fold a big batch, bake what you need, freeze the rest.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb fresh baby spinach (or 20 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed)
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1 small leek, white and light green part only, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh dill (packed)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 8 oz sheep's-milk feta in brine, drained and crumbled
• 1/3 cup whole-milk ricotta
• 2 tbsp finely grated pecorino or kefalotyri
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt (plus more to taste)

• 1 lb frozen phyllo dough (14x18-inch sheets), thawed overnight in the refrigerator
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
• flaky sea salt, for finishing
• lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Move the phyllo from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before and let it thaw slowly, still sealed. Cold, unopened thawing is what keeps the sheets from gluing together.
2. Wilt the spinach: heat a dry 12-inch skillet or wide pot over medium-high. Add the fresh spinach in large handfuls with a splash of water, tossing with tongs, and cook 3–5 minutes total until fully collapsed and dark green. Transfer to a colander and cool 10 minutes. (If using frozen spinach, skip straight to squeezing.)
3. Squeeze the spinach dry in batches: gather it in a clean kitchen towel and wring hard over the sink until no more liquid comes out — you should end up with about 1 1/2 cups of tightly packed spinach. This step decides whether your pastry is crisp or soggy, so keep going past the point you think you're done. Chop the squeezed spinach coarsely and put it in a large bowl.
4. In the same skillet, warm 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the scallions and leek with a pinch of salt and cook 6–8 minutes, stirring, until soft and sweet but not browned. Add the garlic and cook 45 seconds more. Scrape into the bowl with the spinach and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes — hot filling melts the feta into grease.
5. Add the dill, parsley, mint, feta, ricotta, pecorino, egg, lemon zest, nutmeg, black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix with a fork until evenly combined but still a little chunky with feta. Taste and adjust salt; feta brands vary a lot. Refrigerate while you set up the phyllo.
6. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then stir in the 1/3 cup olive oil. Keep it warm and stir before each use. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment and heat the oven to 375°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
7. Unroll the phyllo on a cutting board and cut the whole stack lengthwise into 3 strips roughly 4 1/2 inches wide (a pizza wheel works well). Stack the strips, cover with plastic wrap and then a barely damp kitchen towel. Work with one strip at a time and re-cover the rest immediately.
8. Fold each triangle: lay one strip on the work surface, brush lightly with butter-oil, top with a second strip and brush again. Drop 1 tablespoon of filling near the bottom end, about 1 inch from the edge. Fold the corner over the filling to make a triangle, then keep folding up the strip corner to corner, flag-style, to the end. Set seam-side down on the baking sheet and brush the top with butter-oil.
9. Repeat until the filling is gone — you should get 24 to 30 triangles. Space them 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using and a little flaky salt.
10. Bake 22–28 minutes, rotating the sheets top to bottom halfway through, until deeply golden and audibly crisp when tapped. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet, then serve warm with lemon wedges.
11. Leftovers: re-crisp in a 350°F oven for 6–8 minutes. Never microwave them.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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