Name: Albanian Spinach Pie (Byrek Rolls)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Cuisine: Albanian
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 4 green onions; 450 g/12.8 oz frozen spinach; 2 garlic cloves; 250 g/7 oz feta (from a block, not already crumbled); 225 g/8 oz/1 cup cottage cheese; 100 g/ 3.5 oz/ scant 1/2 cup smetana or crème fraiche; 2 small eggs; fine sea salt and pepper; 1 packet phyllo dough (Note); about 4-5 tablespoons olive oil (as needed for brushing)

Albanian

Weekend

Defrost the spinach and squeeze it very well to remove the excess moisture. Preheat the oven: 200 degrees Celsius/400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chop the onions very finely and cook them in 1 tablespoon olive oil for a couple of minutes.

Mix the onions, spinach, grated garlic cloves, crumbled feta cheese, cottage cheese, smetana/creme fraiche and eggs very well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place one sheet of phyllo pastry on the working surface. Brush it with oil. Place another sheet on top, brush it as well, and finish with another phyllo pastry sheet. Brush this one as well. Cut the phyllo sheets in order to get 16 rectangles of about 25x18 cm/10x7 inches.

Place one heaped tablespoon of the filling on the lower side of each rectangle. Fold the long sides over the filling and roll the pastry starting on the lower side. Place the rolls on a baking sheet lined with baking paper with the seam facing down. Brush the rolls with the remaining oil.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cover the rolls loosely with aluminum foil after half the time if they seem to get too dark.

Albanian Spinach Pie (Byrek Rolls)

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