Phyllo Layered Pastichio Recipes

PASTITSIO

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, oregano, pepper and, if desired, cinnamon; heat through., Drain macaroni; place half of macaroni in a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Layer with meat mixture and remaining macaroni. Set aside., Preheat oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour and remaining salt until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened., Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of the hot mixture into egg; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in remaining cheese. Pour sauce over macaroni., Bake, uncovered, 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

GREEK PASTITSIO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cook the macaroni according to the package directions and drain well. Return the cooked macaroni to the pot and add 1 cup of the melted butter, the milk, eggs, mizithra, feta, and Parmesan cheeses, nutmeg, and white pepper. Stir until well combined. Pour the macaroni mixture into a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring until browned thoroughly, about 10 minutes. Drain well and set meat aside. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Return the meat to the pan and add the tomato paste, red wine, beef broth, parsley, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Pour over the macaroni mixture. Place one sheet of the phyllo on top of the macaroni. Using a pastry brush and the remaining 1/2 cup of melted butter, lightly coat the phyllo with butter. Working quickly, add another sheet of phyllo and brush it with butter. Repeat the layers until you have used all 10 sheets of phyllo. (You may need to overlap the phyllo sheets to entirely cover the pasta.) Cut two or three vents in the top of the pastry.
• Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the eggs and cheese are set. Cool the casserole slightly before cutting into squares and serving.
• Though working with phyllo dough takes a little extra work, Crystal is always thrilled with the results we get. So light and flaky, it makes a tasty topping for many casseroles and pastry dishes. We always work with frozen sheets of phyllo (it's inexpensive and awesome) and find that it is easiest to use when thawed in the refrigerator overnight.
• Here are a few of Crystal's tips for working with this delicate dough. Have a few things on hand when you start to layer the sheets: a pastry brush, a small bowl of melted butter, damp paper towels, and parchment paper. To get started, remove the pastry sheets from the package and unfold them onto parchment paper. Cover the dough with damp paper towels to keep the pastry moist. (Phyllo dries out quickly, so it's important to keep the dough covered.) Work with one sheet at a time, keeping the rest covered.
• You can store the sheets in the refrigerator for up to three days, wrapped well in foil, but do not try to refreeze any sheets that have been thawed. Unused packages can be stored in the freezer for up to a couple of months.

STUFFED PHYLLO PASTRIES

Steps:

• To make filling, press spinach in fine strainer to remove all excess moisture; combine with cheeses, eggs, nutmeg and pepper. Set aside. , To assemble pastries, have the following ready: melted butter, pastry brush, knife, a clean, slightly damp towel, the filling, baking sheet and large work surface. Open box of dough; carefully unfold sheets. Pull off 2 sheets; place together on work surface and brush lightly with butter. Pull off another sheet. Place directly over others; brush again with butter. Repeat until you have layered 5 sheets. Cover unused dough with damp towel. , Cut prepared layers in half vertically, then cut halves into 6 strips vertically. Place 1-1/2 teaspoons of filling at the top of each strip. Fold each strip into triangles (as you would fold a flag), starting at bottom near filling. Repeat with additional layers of phyllo dough until the filling is gone. Place pastries on ungreased baking sheet; brush with butter. , Bake at 400° until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. (Uncooked pastries can be frozen for later use. Frozen pastries can go directly into oven, but baking time must be increased.)

HOMEMADE PHYLLO (OR FILO) DOUGH

Steps:

• Place 2 cups flour in a mixing bowl; make a well in the center. Drizzle in olive oil and add salt; add white wine vinegar and warm water. Mix until dough just comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 1 or 2 minutes. Transfer dough ball to a lightly floured work surface.
• Knead until dough is smooth, using just enough flour to keep it from sticking to the work surface or your hands, 2 or 3 minutes. Continue to knead until dough is supple and elastic, about 5 more minutes. Wrap dough ball in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature, 1 to 2 hours.
• Divide dough into 20 (20 gram) portions using a kitchen scale; roll each portion into a ball. Place on plate and cover with plastic wrap to prevent dough balls from drying out while you begin to roll them out. Work in batches of 5.
• Mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons flour together in a bowl. Dust a work surface and the first dough ball with the cornstarch mixture. Flatten out the dough ball and roll out into a circle, about 5 inches in diameter. Dust again with cornstarch mixture. Set circle to one side. Roll out 4 more dough balls to about the same diameter and stack them on the first one, dusting each layer with more of the cornstarch mixture to keep them from sticking together.
• When you have 5 circles, roll out the stack to a larger circle about double in size, turning as you go to maintain a round shape. Separate each layer and lay out the circles. Re-apply more cornstarch mixture where needed and restack them. Roll again until the 5-layer stack is paper thin, about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Place on a sheet of parchment paper; top with another piece of parchment. Gently roll up the dough; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate.
• Repeat with the remaining 15 balls of dough in batches of 5.

CHOCOLATE-PISTACHIO PHYLLO ROLLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream with cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Stir into chocolate to melt. Finely chop 2 tablespoons nuts; set aside. Stir remaining nuts into chocolate. Spoon chocolate into a resealable plastic bag; cut 1 inch off one corner.
• Lay 1 sheet phyllo on a work surface (cover remaining sheets with a damp kitchen towel). Lightly brush surface with melted butter; lay another sheet on top, and brush with more melted butter.
• Immediately pipe chocolate along a short side of phyllo, 11/2 inches from edges.Tightly roll into a log, lightly brushing with butter at each turn and tucking in ends. Brush log with butter; cover with a damp kitchen towel. Repeat process to make 2 more logs.
• Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; bake 15 minutes. Rotate sheet; brush logs with butter. Sprinkle with reserved nuts. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes more. Let cool completely; dust with sugar. Cutting in a swift motion, divide each log into 8 pieces.