Recipes by Tammy Algood | Food styling by Cynthia Kent | Photograph by Robin Conover
Vacations are important. They give us a chance to enjoy the moment and make memories. Take a little kitchen vacation by choosing ready-to-use phyllo dough. This rich, flaky pastry dough forms a shell around other ingredients to turn any food into finger food. Even if you can’t get away this summer, treat yourself to a change of tabletop scenery with these recipes plus some imagination.
- 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen spinach, thawed
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup small-curd cottage cheese
- 1 (6-ounce) container crumbled feta cheese
- 2 heaping tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic or onion salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 16 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- Place the spinach in a colander and with paper towels, squeeze as much excess moisture out as possible. Set aside.
- Place the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the onions, garlic and green onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Stir the reserved spinach along with the eggs, cottage cheese, feta, parsley, dill, chives, salt, garlic or onion salt and pepper into the onion mixture. Blend well.
- Place 2 sheets of the phyllo dough in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Brush the top with melted butter. Repeat 3 more times using 2 sheets of phyllo and brushing the top layer with butter.
- Spread the spinach mixture evenly over the phyllo dough. Repeat with the remaining phyllo as you did with the bottom layer. Cover with 2 sheets of phyllo, brush with butter and repeat, using all the phyllo sheets. If any butter remains at the end, drizzle over the top.
- With a paring knife, cut into 12 equal portions. Bake 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden-brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 package (15 cups) frozen phyllo cups
- 5 tablespoons pepper jelly (either red or green)
- 15 pecan or walnut halves, toasted
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, chives or thyme
- Place the cream cheese in the freezer for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the phyllo cups from the freezer and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove the cream cheese from the freezer and cut into 15 small squares. Place a cube in the center of each phyllo cup and bake for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and place a dollop of pepper jelly on top of the cheese. Add a pecan or walnut half and return to the oven for 3 minutes. Garnish with the fresh herbs and serve warm or at room temperature.
- Alternatives:
- Substitute a couple of small cooked salad shrimp for the pecans
- Use sliced green onion tops for the garnish and substitute cooked chopped ham for the pecans
- Add crumbled fried bacon before topping with the pecans
- Substitute caramelized onions for the pepper jelly.
- Instead of cream cheese, use cubed brie
- Fill the cups with pimento cheese and bake 5 minutes before serving
- Substitute diced roasted chicken for the pecans.
- Omit the pepper jelly and pecans. Use chopped pepperoni and garnish with red pepper flakes
- Instead of cream cheese, use herbed Boursin, feta or shredded gouda cheese
- Substitute diced prosciutto for the pecans and fig jam for the pepper jelly
- Fill the cups with spinach artichoke dip and bake 5 minutes before serving warm. Garnish with cayenne pepper
- Omit the pepper jelly and pecans. Top the warm cream cheese with fruit and drizzle with honey
- 4 cups chopped nuts (pistachios, pecans or walnuts)
- ¼ cup + ⅓ cup sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 14 sheets (12 ounces) phyllo dough, thawed if frozen
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- In a medium bowl, stir together the chopped nuts, ¼ cup of the sugar and the cinnamon. Set aside. Grease the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Keep the phyllo sheets covered with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Place a phyllo sheet in the bottom of the baking pan and brush with butter. Repeat the process until you have 7 sheets of phyllo in the pan. Top with the nut mixture, evenly distributing across the phyllo. Repeat the process of topping with phyllo, making sure you cover the top completely.
- Using a knife, cut the baklava lengthwise into 4 strips with each strip being a bit less than a couple of inches. Make diagonal cuts to divide the baklava into diamond shapes. You will have odd pieces at the edges. Drizzle any remaining butter over the top.
- Place the pan in the middle of the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake about 1 hour or until golden in color.
- Meanwhile, place the remaining sugar, water, honey and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
- As soon as the baklava comes out of the oven, evenly pour the warm syrup over the pastries. Place on a wire rack then cover and allow to stand at room temperature for 12 hours. Store at room temperature and enjoy within 5 days.
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoons crème de menthe (white if available)
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 small box (4 servings) instant chocolate pudding mix
- ½ cup whipping cream, firmly whipped
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen puff pastry shells
- Place the sweetened condensed milk, crème de menthe and water in a mixing bowl and beat on low to combine. Add the pudding mix and beat well. Cover and refrigerate for 5 minutes, then stir in the whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Follow the package directions for baking the puff pastry shells. Split in half and fill with the chocolate mint mixture. Serve immediately.
- 8 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅔ cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup chopped dates
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly grease a jellyroll pan with cooking spray. Place one sheet of the phyllo on the pan and brush with butter. Place another sheet on top of the first and continue as above until all the sheets have been brushed.
- In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans, dates and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the phyllo, leaving 1 inch along the edges. Tightly roll, jellyroll style, pressing the ends to seal. Brush any remaining butter over the top. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and juice. Drizzle over the warm roll. Cut into 4-inch slices and serve warm.
Tammy Algood develops recipes for The Tennessee Magazine that feature farm-fresh Tennessee food. Those fresh, local ingredients will always add cleaner, more flavorful foods to your table. We recommend visiting local farms and farmers markets to find the freshest seasonal produce.
Ask Chef Tammy
Bonnie asks, “Could you tell me how to make creamed pearl onions?”
Bonnie, purchase them frozen and allow to thaw in the refrigerator. Then saute them in a tablespoon of butter for around 10 minutes. Add a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar and stir just until melted. Serve warm with a garnish of chopped fresh parsley.
Raymond writes, “I have started using kosher salt and wonder if it can be used in any recipe calling for salt.”
Raymond, absolutely it can! Keep in mind that ordinary table salt is saltier than kosher salt, so you might notice a slight difference. A teaspoon of table salt is the equivalent of 1¼ teaspoons of kosher salt.
Email your cooking questions to Tammy Algood: talgood@tnelectric.org.