Spanakopita Triangles

Make the filling

1. Thaw the spinach and squeeze most of the moisture out. If using fresh spinach you will need to wilt it in a pan before using and then strain to remove the juices.
2. Sauté the green onions and leeks in a pan with a splash of olive oil. Add the salt and herbs and cook for a couple more minutes, or until softened. Stir in the spinach and leave to cool before adding the feta and eggs.
3. Mix in the crumbled feta / cream cheese and have a taste, adding more salt if needed. Add the eggs and lemon zest, mix well to combine and set aside.

Assemble the pies

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and place a tray on the middle shelf.
2. Open up your pastry and use a sharp knife to cut through the phyllo vertically so you have 40 long strips . Brush one phyllo with olive oil  and put a second strip of pastry on top. Doubling up the pastry will create crispy spinach hand pies and keep the filling from bursting out.
3. Place a tablespoon (or just over) of the filling at the end of the strip. Don’t be tempted to over fill!
4. Fold the end of your strip with the filling over to encase the filling and form a triangle.Continue folding the pastry, brushing sparingly with olive oil, until you have a tightly packed triangle.
5. Brush with oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional).

Bake

1. Put the spanakopita triangles onto a lined baking sheet, spaced slightly apart.Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Don’t stack them as the steam with soften the pastry.