Spanakopita & storebought phyllo dough 1040

I'll bet that it was too wet. Remember that ricotta I had left over? Well, I used it as well as a lot of the feta. The feta didn't melt much, so it probably wasn't the feta. The spinach was very well drained and squeezed; then after the onions & garlic were cooked, I added the spinach to it to dry it a bit more. It has to be the ricotta causing the problem. Also I combined about 5 recipes to get the one I wanted. I saw that ricotta was added to a couple of the recipes, the reason I used it; but I know I must've used too much.

I took a "course" in phyllo at one time, can't remember where. Came home and tried it several times and it was never a success. This is my first adventure into it again after decades. DH was there at every layer lifting the phyllo up from under the wet towels (one under and one over) and returning the wet towels to cover the phyllo. I did the brushing with butter.

NO MORE RICOTTA! in spanakopita. All that aside, DH thinks it was darned good. I'll make it better next time, but I want to make Baklava. I'll make it first with phyllo improving my skills. Then I HAVE to find the pinwheel style Baklava; I prefer that. In a Greek restaurant in CT nearly next door to f-i-l's, their spanakopita is homemade (also their Baklava) and it was more of a pie crust instead of phyllo. I'm going to have to go back and study it a little more closely. Their Baklava was more of a little square and really no phyllo (perhaps a variation of the pinwheel style, I don't know.

Dave, I watched Food 911, Tyler's version of triangle appetizers of panakopita. (The name of the program is Phyllo Fear.) He also made the Baklava and thirdly, he had his version of the salmon wrapped in phyllo. DH wants us to make that recipe. I'll have to check the ingredients for it to purchase on Monday on the big trip to Fairfax. Dee Dee