Freeze-Ahead Horta Phyllo Pockets

As a cookbook author, I pride myself on being able to feed friends at the drop of a hat. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are particularly busy, so I always have a few back-pocket nibbles stashed in the freezer for instant party fare.

These crispy, buttery phyllo triangles stuffed with mixed greens and feta cheese are a favorite with guests. They’re impressive-looking, and the combination of crispy phyllo pastry and savory salty filling is the perfect nibble to serve with cocktails. Best of all, I can make and freeze them in advance; on the day of the party, they go straight from the freezer to the toaster oven or oven.

Although they’re a staple for entertaining, I dip into my freezer stash now and then — three triangles plus a Greek salad make a lovely impromptu WFH lunch!

While phyllo pies in the United States are usually made with frozen spinach, I go with a mixture of fresh greens (a trick I learned from my Greek friend Despina). Mixed greens, called horta in Greek, make all the difference in the flavor and texture of these pockets. Despina uses wild, leafy greens unique to Greece, but Stateside, I use a mix of whatever looks good: chard, kale, chicory, arugula, collards, or watercress with a bit of baby spinach to round it out. Use whatever you like, and think outside the box. I’ve made these with everything from turnip greens to broccoli rabe! The mix of flavors and more substantial texture make the pies infinitely better.

In the interest of reducing food waste, I finely chop any tough stems and center ribs (kale and Swiss chard, for instance) and sauté them with onion until tender before adding the greens. Then, I add the sturdiest leaves. It will look like too many at first, but as you cook and stir, they will collapse and easily fit in the pan. Tender greens and the garlic are added at the end and cooked until the leaves just wilt; this two-step process ensures everything is cooked evenly. 

Because leafy greens are about 90% water, and water is the enemy of crispy phyllo, you must drain the greens. When I say “drain,” I mean squeeze every last drop of moisture out of them that you can. Dump them into a fine-mesh colander in the sink and press on them with a rubber spatula, stir, and press again — do this over and over until you’ve extracted as much moisture as possible. You should be able to get about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of bright green juice out of the mixture.  

To finish the filling, I add feta cheese, fresh dill (although dried will work in a pinch), a few eggs, and a cup of cooked rice. The rice is another trick I learned from Despina. The rice not only bulks up the triangles, but it absorbs any excess moisture, so the triangles stay plump and crispy. You can substitute cooked quinoa, barley, bulgur, or another cooked grain you happen to have on hand, but don’t skip the grains altogether, as they make for generous pockets.  

Forming the triangles isn’t rocket science — it just takes a bit of patience. Roll up your sleeves, put on some good music, and consider the time you’ll be saving yourself when you need finger food on the fly. Follow the defrosting instructions on the phyllo dough package. (Read more on handling phyllo dough here.) If the first few sheets stick together or if they’re slightly torn, don’t worry — you can still use them. If they’re a total mess, toss them aside and move on to the rest of the dough. If you’re too rough with the sheets, they will sense your anger and tear even more, so slow down and stay calm.  

A common mistake when buttering and stacking is using too much butter. Drizzle the butter sparingly over the first sheet, then use a basting or pastry brush to lightly and evenly coat the sheet. Gently place another sheet on top and smooth and press together. By cutting this stack of two sheets into four strips with the long end facing you, you’re creating four separate appetizers. Dab a bit of the filling in the lower left corner of each strip, then flag-fold the strips to create four triangular pockets. The folding creates multiple layers of crispy, buttery dough. I explain the flag fold method in detail in the recipe, but if you’re a visual learner, Google “flag fold” and you’ll be greeted with ample how-to illustrations. 

Once all the filling is used up, you’ll have 24 to 30 elegant little appetizers to bank in the freezer until you need them. Your number of appetizers will vary based on the size of the phyllo sheets you purchased; I use one roll of Athens 14×18-inch rectangular sheets to make 28 triangles. Figure two to three triangles per person as an appetizer or party nibble. I usually serve them piping-hot all by themselves, but this amazing Greek yogurt dip is great with them, too. Either way, they’re a salty, crunchy, tasty party (and lunch) win!