Eggplant Feta Béchamel Triangles – “Mελιτζάνoπίτα”

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Eggplant Filling:

In a bowl combine a pot of room temperature water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and set aside.

Wash eggplants and pat them dry. Using a peeler, peel the skins from eggplants. Slice eggplants into 1 inch thick slices, then chop into 1/2 inch cubes.

Place eggplant into the salted water bath and let stand for 15 minutes. Remove from water and squeeze the eggplant in your hands or in a strainer removing any excess water. This removes any bitterness from the eggplant.

On a baking sheet spread eggplant throughout, drizzle with 6 tablespoons of olive oil, add a dash of salt and pepper to taste, then place in the preheated oven to roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Béchamel Sauce:

To make your béchamel sauce, in a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden color, about 5 minutes.

In a separate pan heat the milk to almost a boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg, remove from heat, let cool and set aside until ready to use.

Feta Filling:

Rinse feta cheese in cold water to remove any brine. In a small bowl crumble tomato and basil feta cheese. To crumble your feta use the tines of a fork and crumble into small pieces. Coat feta with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, mixing well.

Combine ingredients after they have “cooled”, mixing eggplant, feta and béchamel in a bowl, then set aside until ready to use.

For the dough:
In a microwave melt two sticks of butter (heat for 30 seconds at a time, only until melted), let cool.

Unroll phyllo dough out on a dry work surface atop of waxed paper. Be sure to completely cover the phyllo dough with a damp towel to keep from drying out and becoming brittle. Using a knife, cut the sheets of phyllo lengthwise into 3 strips, and then re-cover phyllo dough with the damp towel.

Using a pastry brush, coat the strips of phyllo with melted butter. Place a small spoonful of eggplant filling at the bottom of the pastry dough, about 1 inch from corner. Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle, continue folding until you reach the other end of the dough (you are folding it up flag-style into a triangle). Fill the remaining strips of dough in a similar fashion the place the filled triangles on a baking sheet keeping them covered with a towel until ready to bake.

Brush the triangles lightly with butter, then bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and crispy.

Serve immediately, they taste the best hot. (You can freeze eggplant triangles for up to a month. Be sure to use a layer of waxed paper between each layer to keep them from sticking).

These make a great appetizer, a unique side dish or you can eat them as a meal like I do. I guarantee however you serve them, they will melt in your mouth. Try not to eat them all in one sitting.