Spinach And Feta Parcels

With phyllo pastry in your freezer, baking becomes easy for me. Phyllo pastry turns a simple meal to a grand affair making others to think you fought the whole day in the kitchen to dish up an elegant dish. Spinach and feta parcels are inspired by my feta cheese sitting in my fridge for quite sometime.

Spinach,feta,goat cheese and nutmeg are addictive ingredients in this recepi, beautifully wrapped in delicate phyllo pastry and baked to perfection. The crispiness from the golden phyllo compliment the cheesy spinach filling and the salty feta cheese add the right balance of flavor to the dish.

Ingredients

16 sheets phyllo pastry
2 1/2 cups spinach, washed
3/4 cup feta cheese
1 cup cottage/goat cheese
1 tbsp butter
50 g melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup pine nuts/almonds, toasted
2 garlic
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of freshly grounded black pepper
Salt to taste


Methods

Preheat oven at 200'C or 400'F . Lightly butter a baking tray and keep aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter and saute the spinach till wilted for about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let it to cool. Squeeze the spinach to remove all the moist. Discard the juice extracted from the spinach.

Add feta,cottage cheese,garlic,pine nuts,egg, nutmeg,salt and pepper to the spinach. Mix well.

On a clean work surface, place a sheet of phyllo pastry and brush with melted butter. Place another sheet over it at right angles to make a cross and brush with butter as well. Place another sheet diagonally and again brush with melted butter.

Spoon the spinach mixture in the centre of the pastry. Fold up the sides of the phyllo sheet and scrunch them at the top to seal the pastry. Brush melted butter all over the pastry. And place on a prepared baking tray. Continue with the rest of pastry sheets and fillings.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or untill lightly golden.

Serve with fresh greens