Spanakopita with Fried Chickpeas

    Yesterday I was just in this mood. I wanted crunchy and veggies and soul satisfying but still something edgy and cultured. I found it. It was perfect. It was light and delicious and like I wanted, soul satisfying. My Spanakopita.

    While all my friends were out drinking at our local establishment, a classy place (right?), I was being a big boring college student make this traditional Greek treat. It was so tasty that a paired it with Fried Chickpeas which I have wanted to make for a long long time cause I saw it done really nicely on Food Network. I cooked, I ate, I was happy.  Matthew and I slept like babies. It wasn’t that hard to make and I had pretty much all the ingredients in my house. I hope you like it as much as I did. 

What You Need For the Spanakopita:

• Phyllo Dough
• Olive oil
• 2 Packages of Spinach
• 1 clove of Garlic
• 2 Eggs
• Salt
• Pepper
• Dried Oregano
• Dried Parsley
• Dried Basil
• Half a Lemon
• 1 Package of Crumbled Feta Cheese

How to Make It:

1. Preheat your oven to 350
2. Sautee the chopped garlic in a little bit of olive oil, barely browning it.
3. Add your Spinach. You might have to do this in two or three bunches depending on how big your pan is. Cook the spinach until it is very cooked down then strain it to make sure all the extra liquid is out.
4. In a separate bowl, beat together one egg with a tablespoon of salt and pepper and two tablespoons of the oregano, basil, and parsley.
5. Add your Feta cheese to the bowl and combine. 
6. Lay out your phyllo dough making sure it is completely defrosted. Stack three layer of phyllo dough with olive oil brushed in between each layer. 
7. Cut your dough in whatever shape you want (rectangle, square, circle) and know that it will be only half of what you make.
8. Put a lump of your spinach filling into the center of the dough and egg wash the edges with the second egg. Then fold over your dough and seal the pastry shut.
9. Place the pastry on a lightly greased sheet pan and place into your oven for 30 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.
10. Enjoy!