Phyllo Onion And Dill Purses Food

THREE-CHEESE PHYLLO TRIANGLES WITH ONIONS AND YOGURT

Steps:

• 1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, preferably nonstick, skillet and cook the onions until soft and lightly golden, or 10 to 12 minutes. Stir as you cook them. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• 2. Combine the cheeses, yogurt, remaining olive oil, cooked onions, and dill. Beat the eggs lightly and add to the mixture, mixing well. Season with salt and pepper.
• 3. Have the phyllo ready. Place the sheets in front of you and, using a sharp knife, cut lengthwise into 4 equal columns. Stack them, and keep the stack covered with a dry kitchen towel and then over that a damn kitchen towel. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly oil 2 baking sheets.
• 4. Remove 1 strip of phyllo, brush it lightly with olive oil, and place another strip on top. Brush that with oil, too. Place a teaspoon of the filling in the lower right-hand corner of the phyllo, about 1/2 inch from the edge. Fold up the right corner to form a right triangle, and continue folding, the way one folds a flag. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Continue until the phyllo and filling are used up. Bake in the center of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Serve warm.

PIROZHKI

Steps:

• Make the dough:
• In a food processor blend together the flour, the baking powder, the salt, and the butter until the mixture resembles meal. In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks and the sour cream, add the sour cream mixture to the flour mixture, and blend the mixture until it just forms a dough, adding the water if the dough seems dry. Divide the dough into fourths, form each fourth into a flattened round, and chill the dough, each round wrapped well in wax paper, for 1 hour or overnight.
• Make the filling:
• Peel the potatoes, cut them into 3/4-inch pieces, and in a steamer set over boiling water steam them, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are very tender. Force the potatoes through a ricer or food mill into a bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the butter. In a heavy saucepan cook the onion and the caraway seeds in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until the onion is golden, add the cabbage, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 5 minutes. Cook the mixture, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes more and stir it into the potato mixture with the sour cream, the water if the mixture is too thick, the dill, and salt and pepper to taste. The filling may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.
• On a lightly floured surface roll out 1 piece of the dough 1/8 inch thick, keeping the remaining pieces wrapped and chilled, and with a 3-inch cutter cut out rounds. Brush each round with some of the egg wash, put 2 level teaspoons of the filling on one half of each round, and fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon, pressing the edges together firmly to seal them and crimping them with a fork. Gather the scraps of dough, reroll them, and make more pirozhki with the remaining filling and dough and some of the remaining egg wash in the same manner. The pirozhki may be made up to this point 5 days in advance and kept frozen in plastic freeze bags. The pirozhki need not be thawed before baking.
• Arrange the pirozhki on lightly greased baking sheets and brush the tops with the remaining egg wash. Bake the pirozhki in preheated 350°F. oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are golden, and serve them warm or at room temperature.

PHYLLO CUPS WITH CARAMELIZED ONION HORS D'OEUVRES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter or margarine in 10" skillet; add onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden and caramelized (7-10 minutes). Stir in remaining filling ingredients. Continue cooking until heated through and no more liquid.
• Set aside. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes.
• Butter the insides of phyllo cups.
• Place phyllo cups on ungreased baking sheet; place about 1 scant teaspoon of onion mixture in center of cups. Top with 1 teaspoon cheese.
• Repeat the process with remaining phyllo cups.
• Bake 5-8 minutes or until golden brown. (Watch them so they don't burn!).
• Serve warm.
• *Filling can be made 1 day ahead. Just bring to room temperature when you are going to make the cups.*.

SWEET CHEESE PHYLLO PURSES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Finely crumble the goat cheese with a fork in a medium bowl, then stir in the ricotta. Brush a 12-cup muffin pan with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter; set aside 1 tablespoon melted butter in a small bowl for step 3.
• Use the remaining 6 tablespoons butter for the phyllo sheets: Brush the top of a phyllo sheet all over with butter, then stack 3 more sheets on top, brushing each with butter. Cut the stack in half lengthwise, then crosswise into thirds to make 6 squares. Press each square into a muffin cup. Repeat with the remaining 4 phyllo sheets and melted butter.
• Divide the cheese mixture among the phyllo-lined muffin cups, pressing with a spoon to flatten the filling into the cups. Fold in the phyllo to cover the filling, leaving a little hole in the center to vent steam. Brush the tops of the dough with the reserved 1 tablespoon melted butter. Put the pan on the oven floor and bake until the phyllo purses are dark golden brown on the bottom, 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375˚ F; move the muffin pan to the middle oven rack and continue baking until the phyllo is golden brown and crisp on top, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the sugar, water, cardamom and orange zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, occasionally pressing on the cardamom pods with a spoon, until syrupy, about 8 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a liquid measuring cup. Stir in the orange juice.
• Remove the phyllo purses to a platter as soon as they come out of the oven. Spoon about half of the syrup on top. Let sit for a few minutes to soak in the syrup, then top with the pistachios. Drizzle with more syrup and serve warm.

SPINACH, FETA, AND PHYLLO PURSES

Steps:

• In a heavy skillet cook the onion in 1/4 cup of the oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is golden, add the spinach, and cook the mixture, stirring, until it is combined well. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the Feta and the dill, and let the filling cool.
• Lay 1 sheet of the phyllo with a long side facing you on a work surface and brush it lightly with some of the remaining 1/4 cup oil. Lay another sheet and brush it lightly with some of the remaining oil. With a sharp knife cut the sheets lengthwise into thirds and cut each length crosswise into fifths, making 15 sections, each approximately 4 x 3 1/2 inches. Put a level teaspoon of the filling in the center of each phyllo section. Working with 1 section at a time gather the corners of th phyllo over the filling and twist the phyllo gently. Transfer the pastries to an oiled jelly-roll pan and make pastries with the remaining phyllo, oil, and filling, in the same manner. Bake the pastries in the lower third of a preheated 375°F. oven for 25 minutes, or until they are golden. The pastries may be baked 1 day in advance and kept covered loosely with plastic wrap and chilled. Reheat the pastries in a 375°F. oven for 10 minutes, or until they are heated through.