Wednesday, September 2

Phyllo "Cigars"

This dish reminds me of my grandmother's friday night dinners. She would always prepare these "cigars" and we always looked forward to them. Mine, however did not come out as thin and perfectly rolled as hers, but still tasted wonderful. This is the first time I worked with phyllo dough, the thin papery dough that becomes crispy in the oven, and it was a bit difficult. It is extremely thin and delicate but after I got the hang of it, it became easier to work with. I made two varieties, one with minced meat and fried onions, and another with mashed potatoes. The potato one is not pictured because it just came out a mess. I think I didn't use enough of the phyllo dough layers to hold the heavy potatoes, so it kind fell apart. It's ok, I fed it to my dog so it didn't totally go to waste :) But the meat ones were so good!

These are great as an appetizer or a fun side dish. I want to try them in those puff pastry shells, and then maybe with a layer of mashed potatoes on top since it will hold it better, like a cup rather than a roll. Then in the oven it goes and the top of the mashed potatoes get all brown..yummm meat and potatoes! Sorry, I'm thinking ahead of myself! I can't wait to try it, and if one of you does, let me know how it comes out!

Meat filled Phyllo Rolls
1/2 lb ground beef
Half an onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
salt 'n' peppa
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper optional
1 tsp dried parsley (was out of the fresh stuff)

1 Preheat toaster oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a bowl with the ground beef and break up with the back of wooden spoon. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and garlic.
2 Chop and mince onion and saute over medium heat in a large skillet until soft and golden.
3 Pour ground beef in the same skillet as the onion and brown until no pink shows. I turned the heat up at the end to get some real color on the beef. When beef is done cooking, put aside.
4 Prepare the phyllo dough by taking 5 layers and brushing each layer with melted butter or margarine and stacking them on top of each other (These directions are on the box).
5 Spoon a thin line of meat lengthwise across the phyllo and begin to roll, tightly, without tearing the dough. Place the roll seam down in the oven. Brush top of roll with butter or margarine and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and crisp. If doing more than one roll, repeat steps 1 through 5 again.
6 Once rolls are baked and golden, cut them in half for easier to eat pieces. Enjoy!

19 comments:

Heather S-G said...

Oh, these look great! I bet sweet & savory versions are both delish :) And what sweet memories of your grandmother...I love family-food related memories!

♥peachkins♥ said...

These looks really yummy!

Thistlemoon said...

I think it is impossible to make desserts or anything involving pastry as dainty and perfect as our grandmother's made it. Any dish I make that was her's always looks so well, clunky in comparison. These look super scrumptious though!

Foodie with Little Thyme! said...

Looks great to me. I have a box of phillo in my freeze. I think I'll try making some cigars on Friday. I'll let you know how it goes. And thanks for sharing!

Reeni said...

These look so good! Tender and flaky!

Nicole Chow said...

Phyllo dough scares me! I always think I'm going to tear/ruin all of those layers. But you make it seem so easy. Your cigars came out perfectly! Funny, you and ZestyCook.com both had cigar-related posts today!

Stacey Snacks said...

Z, these look fun and yummy.
My grandmother made stuffed cabbage rolls, but never anything like this!

Deseree said...

These look yummy! I love the idea of the potato ones too, too bad they didn't come out well. If you try them again be sure to share with us :)

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

I love that kind of dish! Yummy!

Cheers,

Rosa

Soma said...

love the cigars & i could munch away all on the platter. fed it to your dog? LOL.. lucky dog of yours!

i like them with dessert fillings too.

grace said...

mmm...crunchy little sticks o' meat. what a great little nosh, appetizer, OR entree!

Anonymous said...

The savory phyllo "cigars" sound fabulous! I always try to replicate my grandma's dishes just as she made them (unfortunately she didn't have any recipes written down and really she didn't ever measure anything anyway).

Half Baked said...

Yum! These look very tasty. I love this kind of thing for parties. so versatile. Great recipe:)

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I can see this being a big hit with my children. Thanks for sharing! I won't be scared of phyllo. I won't be scared of phyllo. :)If I keep telling myself I'll be fine and won't be.
~ingrid

Talita said...

Yummmm! Spunds delish! I love phyllo.

Olga said...

for some reason I expected these to be sweet, but meat filling sounds great!

PS: congratulations on the win of the canvas bag: super cute!

Ted Robinson said...

These photos of phyllo Cigar rolls brought some water in my mouth.Not only me it can even create hunger for a stomach filled person.I have gone through the recipe and will insist my mother to prepare some for me. I think this roll along with a Cohiba Cigar can make lunch or supper more delicious.Looking forward to have some as early as possible.

nora@ffr said...

those phyllo cigar rolls sound amazing!! they look pretty ! :)

Buy cigars online said...

I have never heard of this dish earlier but after reading here about it it seems to be good and delicious and now i will definitely try it.