This is my version of spanakopita, a traditional greek pastry. It can seem hard to get it to look nice, but if you take your time and follow the steps you'll do it again, often. You can always prepare them in advance and cook them later.
I like serving this as a first course, and with these two easy sauces you get a nice blend of hot and sour flavors. You could also add some seafood in the filling and serve it as a main course with a salad, or your favorite side dish.
Yield 15 pastries.
Filling
1 finely chopped onion
1 chopped garlic clove
A good handful of chopped spinach
3/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese
1 cup of artichoke hearts roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
Sweat the onion in oil, then add the garlic. Add all the other ingredients and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes.
Putting it together
First of all, melt about 4 tablespoons of butter.
Lay a sheet of fillo on your working space. Brush the surface of it with butter, then put another sheet on top, pressing a bit to make the two layers stick together. Brush again with butter. Cut into 6 strips, lengthwise.
At the top of each strip put a good tablespoon of the filling mixture. Then make the triangles, by folding the pastry this way:
You can also save time by making rolls instead of triangles. (You would do this by rolling the fillo!)
Place parchment on a baking tray, gently lay each pastry on it and brush the top with more melted butter. Cook at 350F for about 20 minutes or until they're golden and crisp.
Roasted Hot Pepper Sauce Roast your favorite hot peppers (or bell peppers if you can't tolerate heat) in an oven with oil at 425F. Leave to cool a bit, cut open the peppers and empty the insides. Make a purée in a food processor with a dash of oil and a pinch of salt. Pass through a sieve to get a smooth sauce.
Lemon-Garlic Sauce You can use raw or roasted garlic. Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise with 1/2 cup greek yogurt. Stir in the juice of half a lemon and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Add ground pepper to taste.
Top with fresh cilantro!