"Vegikopitas"

Ingredients:

• 2 Shallots, finely chopped
• 2 cups mixed Mushrooms (cremini, shitake, oyster)
• 1 lb Baby Spinach (any tough stems removed)
• 2 Roasted Red Peppers (or 1 4 oz jar, drained), chopped
• Roasted Garlic Pulp (from 1 head garlic)*
• 1 teaspoon minced, fresh Oregano
• Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)
• Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt & Fresh Black Pepper
• 2 ounces Feta or Goat Cheese, crumbled
• Phyllo Dough

* You can make roasted garlic by cutting a head of garlic in half, drizzle with olive oil/salt/pepper. Place in foil and loosely wrap like a purse. Place in a 450 degrees oven until soft, and pulp is easy squeezed out. Alternately, you can roast garlic in a small saucepan of simmering olice oil. Peel your garlic cloves and simmer in the oil over very low heat until soft. Save the galric infused oil for brushing onto your triangles.

** This recipe makes about 15-20 triangles. Feel free to experiment and change the fillings. Roasted summer squash with basil and mozzarella would be a nice combination. Or make the traditional spanakopita with baby spinach, parsley feta, green onions, dill, oregano, etc.

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender and all liquid is released. Halfway through cooking the mushrooms, add the shallots and saute to a nice caramel color. Season with salt/pepper. Remove from the pan and place over a strainer to release any excess liquid.

2. To the same pan, add the spinach and cook until wilted. Drain and squeeze out any excess water. Season lightly with salt/pepper. Chop coarsely.

3. Combine the sauteed spinach, mushrooms, chopped roasted red peppers, roasted garlic pulp, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Fold in the cheese. Taste for seasonings and add more red pepper, salt, pepper as needed.

4. Stack 3 sheets of phyllo dough on top of each other. Using a pastry brush, brush the top sheet liberally with olive oil (can alternatively use a combo of oil/butter). Using a sharp knife, cut the phyllo sheets lenghwise into 3 strips. Spoon about a 1 1/2 tablespoon of the mixture at the bottom of each strip. Take the bottom right corner of the strip and fold over the filling to the left to make a trinagle. Pull up the bottom left corner and fold up to make a second triangle. Continue folding in this manner until you reach the top. Place the triangle, seam side down on a prepared baking sheet. Brush the triangle completely with olive oil. This is a lot easier to do than describe. Just try it, and the method will come to you instantly.

**Note that it's important to work quickly with phyllo dough or it will dry out. You will probably be doing your stacks of phyllo dough one at a time. While working on a stack, make sure that the remaining phyllo is covered. I cover it with plastic wrap and then a lightly damp towel.

The prepared triangles can be frozen at this point. I freeze them between layers of parchment paper to avoid sticking. No thawing is needed, and they can be backed straight from the freezer

5. Bake in a 375 degrees oven until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them, because the filling can burst out if overbaked.