Title: Ojaldres (Light, Crispy Spinach Rolls)
Categories: Jewish Turkey Israel Appetizer
Yield: 1 Servings

1/2	lb	Spinach, sliced very thin, well rinsed, & drained
1		Egg, beaten
1/4	ts	Salt
2	tb	PLUS
1	ts	Kashkaval or Parmesan cheese grated
1	ts	Corn or sunflower oil, plus
		Oil for fillo
10		Sheets (12x17-ins) fillo dough
1		Egg yolk mixed w/
1	ts	Water

The Jewish ladies of Izmir in southwest Turkey are good cooks & follow traditions of their ancestors. Ladino, Judeo-Spanish, is still spoken there now & then, & well-bred people also speak French as well as Turkish. There was a thriving Jewish community in Izmir (formerly Smyrna) for centuries but now it is reduced to a handful. The "Ojaldres" that I tasted were characteristic of all pastry made by the light hand of a good cook.

The lady in Izmir emphasized the importance of the spinach being dry before mixing it into the filling. She suggested slicing the spinach & letting it dry in the kitchen overnight to eliminate as much moisture as possible (or see the instructions in TURKISH.023)

1. Mix spinach, egg, salt, 2 tb grated cheese & 1 ts oil together. Toss mixture to integrate ingreds. Set aside. 2. Divide fillo sheets lengthwise into 3 parts. They will be 4-" wide & 17-" long. Oil each sheet lightly w/pastry brush & fold over lengthwise so each sheet is abt 2-inches wide. 3. Put 1 tb spinach mixture at 1 narrow end of fillo & roll it up length of sheet. Put roll on oiled baked sheet, paint each roll w/beaten egg/water mixture, & sprinkle a few grains of remaining 1 ts grated cheese. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 15 mins, or until brown & crisp. Serve warm or room temp w/sweet Turkish coffee. Makes 20 rolls.

Recipe: "Sephardic Cooking" by Copeland Mark 1992 Published by Donald I. Fine, Inc., New York, N.Y. DPileggi in Houston, Texas

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