Cosulețe with spinach and telemea, appetizer

Name: Cosulețe with spinach and telemea, appetizer
Ingredients: 500 g spinach; 100 ml water; 15 g fresh dill; 150 g telemea; 2 garlic cloves; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 1/2 teaspoon fine salt; 100 g kashkaval; 3 phyllo sheets; 50 ml butter; 200 g yogurt

Appetizers - Cosulețe with spinach and telemea, appetizer by Gianina O. - Recipia

Cosulețe with spinach, small appetizer baskets made from phyllo sheets brushed with butter and filled with spinach, dill and telemea (Romanian brined cheese, similar to feta). The sheets come out golden and crisp at the edges, while the spinach filling stays soft, with a taste of dill and cheese. I take them out of the oven and serve them warm, straight from the muffin tin, with the yogurt sauce on the side. Preparation: 20 minutes. Cooking: 20 minutes. Resting: 10 minutes. Total time: 50 minutes. Servings: 4. About 345 kcal and 18 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the baskets

500 g spinach
100 ml water
15 g fresh dill
150 g telemea
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
100 g kashkaval
3 phyllo sheets
50 ml butter

For the yogurt sauce

200 g yogurt

Preparation

1. Wash the spinach well, in plenty of cold water. 2. Bring 100 ml water to a boil in a pot. When it boils, add the spinach leaves and stir so they all go into the boiling water. Leave for 3 minutes, until wilted. 3. Drain the spinach well and let it cool for 10 minutes. 4. Heat the oven to 180°C and grease the muffin tin well with a little of the melted butter. 5. Melt 50 ml butter over low heat, 2 minutes, until liquid. 6. Cut the phyllo sheets into 3 lengthwise, then each strip into 3. 7. Brush each sheet with melted butter using a pastry brush, and put 3 strips in each muffin cup. 8. Chop the spinach with a knife, not too fine. Crush the garlic, chop the dill finely and grate the telemea. Mix everything very well. 9. Taste and add salt if needed. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper and season to taste. 10. Using a spoon, divide the filling into the baskets. On top, place a few pieces of kashkaval. 11. Bake 15 minutes at 180°C, until lightly browned at the edges. 12. Serve warm, with the yogurt sauce on the side.

Notes

Serve them warm, with the yogurt sauce on the side, but they are good cold too, for a picnic. Keep the yogurt cold and do not heat it, so it does not split. They contain gluten, from the phyllo sheets, and dairy, from the telemea, kashkaval and butter. If you cannot find kashkaval, add another 100 g telemea and taste before adding salt. The spinach must be drained well, otherwise the filling makes the sheets wet and the baskets will not come out crisp, and draining is the step people rush. If you double the recipe, use two muffin tins so the sheets are not piled up. The baskets keep up to 3 days in the fridge, covered.