cybercat wrote:
>
> Just watched a travel show about Greece that had some interesting but pretty
> vaque fool-related information. The narrator said that there is a Greek

I bet you couldn't take your eyes off the screen
when that information was being presented. :-)

"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
...
> cybercat wrote:
>>
>> Just watched a travel show about Greece that had some interesting but
>> pretty
>> vaque fool-related information. The narrator said that there is a Greek
>
> I bet you couldn't take your eyes off the screen
> when that information was being presented. :-)

TIROPITA (Greek Cheese Pies)


6 large Eggs
1 Lb. Feta Cheese (Imported if available)
1 Lb. Ricotta Cheese
1 Lb. Filo Pastry
¾ Stick of Butter

Beat eggs until frothy. Crumble feta cheese; add slowly to the eggs. Add the
Ricotta Cheese a little at a time. Beat until all ingredients are mixed.

Cut Filo into strips approximately 2-1/2 "to 3 'wide x length of the Filo
sheet.
Take one cut Filo sheet, brush with melted butter first; then drop about one
full teaspoon full of the cheese mix near the end of the Filo strip. Then
carefully fold the strip into a triangle shape, just like folding a flag.
Bake on a buttered pan at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden
brown.

These can be made well ahead of time and frozen unbaked. Layer the completed
triangles in plastic containers or a cardboard box with wax papers between
each layer. When needed simply remove and bake as noted above.

They will keep for several weeks or more in this manner...

* When using Filo pastry take out only as much as you need to work with.
Keep the strips covered as you work since Filo dries quickly when exposed to
the air for long periods of timer. It becomes brittle and flakes when dry.

CHICKEN IN PHYLLO (KOTOPITA)


1 Whole Chicken Greek BECHAMEL
SAUCE
½ Stalk of Celery ½ Stick of Butter
3 Medium Onions, Chopped 3 Tbsp.. Flour
1 Stick of Butter 1-1/2 Cup
Chicken Broth, heated
Salt, Pepper and Nutmeg 1 Tbsp.. Lemon Juice
3 Eggs 2 Egg Yolks
10 Sheets of Phyllo Dough 1 Dash of Salt
½ Cup Melted Butter
1 Cup of Chicken Broth

Boil chicken; reserve 2-1/2 cups broth. Remove bones and chop; set aside. In
a large saucepan, melt butter. Sauté celery until tender; add onions and
continue cooking until onions are transparent. Add chicken to saucepan and
one cup of broth (reserve other cup for the sauce.). Sauté until all liquid
is absorbed. Remove from heat, cool and add salt, pepper and nutmeg to
taste. Beat eggs until frothy; fold into the cooled chicken mixture.

Prepare phyllo by laying out five sheets, one on top of the other, brushing
each sheet with melted butter, onto jellyroll pan. Place ½ of the mixture
down the center of the phyllo and roll up so it is shaped like a log. Seal
at both ends by pressing down. Brush with melted butter and score top into
1-1/2 inch serving portions. Repeat process with the rest of mixture and
phyllo. Bake at 375 Degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and
slice discarding the end piece if you wish. Top with Béchamel Sauce and
serve, or serve sauce on the side.

Sauce: Melt butter in small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in flour.
Immediately and all at once add hot broth. Stir until smooth over low heat.
Slightly beat egg yolks with lemon juice. Stir into broth mixture that has
been removed from heat. Season with salt)

:-)

Dimtiri

"Dimitri" > wrote
> TIROPITA (Greek Cheese Pies)
>
>

[snips]

> CHICKEN IN PHYLLO (KOTOPITA)
>

[snips]

Thank you! Lovely, both. I have handled phyllo twice when making
spanikopita! I could be better at it, but I will learn.

On Sep 13, 3:14*pm, "cybercat" > wrote:
> "Dimitri" > wrote
>
> > * * * * *TIROPITA (Greek Cheese Pies)
>
> [snips]
>
> > * * * * * * * * * * * * * CHICKEN IN PHYLLO (KOTOPITA)
>
> [snips]
>
> Thank you! Lovely, both. I have handled phyllo twice when making
> spanikopita! I could be better at it, but I will learn.

The trick to working with phyllo is threefold:

Properly defrost the dough so it won't break apart in the middle.

Work quickly. (so have everything at the ready, like the melted
butter, so you can just concentrate on laying the dough)

Keep very lightly damp paper towel over the yet-to-be-used phyllo
stack. Otherwise it dries quickly and cracks into pieces.

These things (plus practice!) and you will conquer phyllo.

Good luck,
Kris

cybercat wrote:
> "Dimitri" > wrote
>> TIROPITA (Greek Cheese Pies)
>>
>>
>
> [snips]
>
>> CHICKEN IN PHYLLO (KOTOPITA)
>>
>
> [snips]
>
> Thank you! Lovely, both. I have handled phyllo twice when making
> spanikopita! I could be better at it, but I will learn.

Phyllo is one of those things that intimidates me. It seems really simple,
but I know I'll screw it up. If I watch someone (in person) prepare it, I
know I'll be able to do it.

kili

kilikini wrote:
>
>> Thank you! Lovely, both. I have handled phyllo twice when making
>> spanikopita! I could be better at it, but I will learn.
>
> Phyllo is one of those things that intimidates me. It seems really simple,
> but I know I'll screw it up. If I watch someone (in person) prepare it, I
> know I'll be able to do it


It would be a lot more intimidating if you had to start by making the
pastry, but buying it frozen skips that step. It really isn't that bad.
You just need to be prepared and work fast. You use several lawyers
so you can make mistakes and cover then up.... literally.

Make sure that your pastry is completely thawed out. It comes in a
box and wrapped in plastic. Have all your ingredients on hand and ready
to use and a damp cloth cover it and keep it from drying out. Plyllo
forgiving stuff. The results are usually so tasty that no one will
notice that you tore a few sheets and patched them together.

Dave Smith said...

> kilikini wrote:
>>
>>> Thank you! Lovely, both. I have handled phyllo twice when making
>>> spanikopita! I could be better at it, but I will learn.
>>
>> Phyllo is one of those things that intimidates me. It seems really
>> simple, but I know I'll screw it up. If I watch someone (in person)
>> prepare it, I know I'll be able to do it
>
>
> It would be a lot more intimidating if you had to start by making the
> pastry, but buying it frozen skips that step. It really isn't that bad.
> You just need to be prepared and work fast. You use several lawyers
> so you can make mistakes and cover then up.... literally.
>
> Make sure that your pastry is completely thawed out. It comes in a
> box and wrapped in plastic. Have all your ingredients on hand and ready
> to use and a damp cloth cover it and keep it from drying out. Plyllo
> forgiving stuff. The results are usually so tasty that no one will
> notice that you tore a few sheets and patched them together.


There's a Greek food stand at the Reading Terminal Market in Philly that
I've ALWAYS meant to try but gravity pulls me towards cheesesteaks a few
steps away.

Andy

On Sun, 14 Sep 2008 07:36:27 -0500, Andy <q> wrote:

>There's a Greek food stand at the Reading Terminal Market in Philly that
>I've ALWAYS meant to try but gravity pulls me towards cheesesteaks a few
>steps away.


Sounds like you need to get to Philly more often!


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

In article >,
Dave Smith > wrote:

> kilikini wrote:
> >
> >> Thank you! Lovely, both. I have handled phyllo twice when making
> >> spanikopita! I could be better at it, but I will learn.
> >
> > Phyllo is one of those things that intimidates me. It seems really simple,
> > but I know I'll screw it up. If I watch someone (in person) prepare it, I
> > know I'll be able to do it
>
>
> It would be a lot more intimidating if you had to start by making the
> pastry, but buying it frozen skips that step. It really isn't that bad.
> You just need to be prepared and work fast. You use several lawyers
> so you can make mistakes and cover then up.... literally.
>
> Make sure that your pastry is completely thawed out. It comes in a
> box and wrapped in plastic. Have all your ingredients on hand and ready
> to use and a damp cloth cover it and keep it from drying out. Plyllo
> forgiving stuff. The results are usually so tasty that no one will
> notice that you tore a few sheets and patched them together.

Mom and I helped an Italian friend make Phyllo once. She covered the
entire table with a clean white cloth and dusted it with flour. I
remember helping her stretch the dough sheet over the entire table. ;-)
I was just a little kid.

I'd rather buy the frozen. <g>
--
Peace! Om

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." --Mark Twain

On Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:09:36 -0500, Omelet >
wrote:

>Mom and I helped an Italian friend make Phyllo once. She covered the
>entire table with a clean white cloth and dusted it with flour. I
>remember helping her stretch the dough sheet over the entire table. ;-)
>I was just a little kid.
>
What a great experience! I'm too chicken to even try. I have to
conquer flat pasta first (no pasta machines for me).

>I'd rather buy the frozen. <g>

Does frozen thaw correctly for you? Every time I've done that, I end
up with "wet" spots that turn into holes.... no matter how slowly I
thaw it. Fortunately, I can buy phyllo fresh - so I have a nice half
way point between buying frozen and making it myself.



--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

Dave Smith wrote:
> It really isn't that bad.
> You just need to be prepared and work fast. You use several lawyers so
> you can make mistakes and cover then up.... literally.

Yeah, the more lawyers you use, the easier it is to cover things up...

:{)