What to do with phyllo sheets?

[alisoncooks]

Sent DH to the store to grab refrigerated pie crusts. (I cook a lot of stuff, but I have no desire to delve into homemade pastries!)  He came home with phyllo sheets. I’m trying to figure out if I can use it for my purposes or if I should make something else with it (like baklava, yum! I have a ton of walnuts leftover from holiday baking, so it’s totally a possibility). 

I’m making keema/beef curry for dinner tonight, but I wanted dough to make it into small hand pies for tomorrow’s leftovers meal. I was going to use pie crust or puff pastry for that…but phyllo might work?  Maybe a flakier (more annoying to work with) version but still tasty? 

Thoughts?

[prairiewindmomma]

Puff pastry has a lot of fat in it, phyllo dough does not. They aren’t quite interchangeable products. I would make baklava! 

[Beth S]

Baklava?

ETA: Great Minds Think Alike!

Edited January 10, 2023 by Beth S

[KatieJ]

Look up recipes for Rotel cups…or taco cups.

 Cut the phyllo sheets into squares and put in mini cupcake pans…fill with above fillings..

[marbel]

If you google 

phyllo dough meat hand pies

You will see lots of recipes, though some of them may not be for hand pies specifically. Whether they are good or not, I don't know! But this one looks like it's a stew encased in phyllo?

https://www.dimitrasdishes.com/kimadopitakia-greek-phyllo-pies-with-beef-herbs/

[marbel]

And by the way I love your idea! I haven't made keema in a long time so thanks for the inspiration! 

I hope it all turns out well, whatever you do!

[Amira]

I’ve used phyllo lots of times when others might use puff pastry since it’s more common in the places I usually live.  Phyllo hand pies/turnovers, either sweet or savory, are different from ones made with pie crust of puff pastry, but they’re delicious too.  If you try it, brush each phyllo layer with fat (butter, olive oil, whatever you usually use) to keep it from getting hard when it’s baked.  

But if you have walnuts on hand, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t make baklava.  

[alisoncooks]

14 minutes ago, Amira said:

But if you have walnuts on hand, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t make baklava.  

I know, but I am out of honey, so there’s that…

(There would be weeping and gnashing of teeth if my kids knew I could’ve made baklava and chose not to…)

ETA: but now I’m seeing that  Turkish baklava doesn’t need honey, so hmmmm….

Edited January 10, 2023 by alisoncooks

[Spy Car]

I prefer items like spanakopita or meat pies to baklava myself (too sweet).

The key to getting phyllo flakey is to bush between layers of dough with olive oil, or melted butter (or a mix) as you lay it down.

Pretty easy and fun.

Bill

 

 

 

[Dianthus]

Spanikopita and baklava! Both are on my list to make soon. It's been awhile. I always keep phyllo in my freezer but it seems like many of our local stores have stopped carrying it. I only know of one that has it.

[shawthorne44]

On hint on baklava that I got at the local Greek Orthodox festival.  Instead of layering it like lasagna, do one full layer and then roll.   It takes much less time, but the different items are evenly mixed.  Sometimes I've gotten it in Greek restaurants and there will be like 1/4" of honey-nuts mix and then 1/4" of phyllo dough.   

[Lucy the Valiant]

Spanakopita! 

[Lori D.]

2 hours ago, alisoncooks said:

Sent DH to the store to grab refrigerated pie crusts. (I cook a lot of stuff, but I have no desire to delve into homemade pastries!)  He came home with phyllo sheets. I’m trying to figure out if I can use it for my purposes or if I should make something else with it (like baklava, yum! I have a ton of walnuts leftover from holiday baking, so it’s totally a possibility). 

I’m making keema/beef curry for dinner tonight, but I wanted dough to make it into small hand pies for tomorrow’s leftovers meal. I was going to use pie crust or puff pastry for that…but phyllo might work?  Maybe a flakier (more annoying to work with) version but still tasty? 

Thoughts?

Well, I would straight up make spanakopita. 😄 

But, whatever you use your phyllo dough for, keep it sealed and cool until ready to use, and then keep it covered as you work, so that it does not dry out/warm up -- because then it sticks to itself.

Yes, you could use some other small hand pies out of the phyllo. For tiny size, try laying phyllo (brushed with butter between each leaf) in muffin tin cups, with a spoonful of your filling, and then fold over, or twist,  the phyllo leaves that stick up to seal.

Or, see the recipe above for technique to bake in a pan and cut into pieces. In brief, you melt butter, and use a pastry brush to butter your baking dish, add a thin, single leaf of phyllo, brush with melted butter, add another leaf of phyllo, etc. until you have built up about 8-10 layers; add 1/2 of your filling, repeat the phyllo layering with another 8-10 leaves (brushing each with butter), and then add the other half of your filling, and finish with the remaining leaves of phyllo.

You do want to make sure that you use a filling that is NOT juicy/runny/liquid, AND, one that will taste good with very buttery/flaky wrapping. Which leads me again to suggest... spanakopita!!  YUM! 😄

Edited January 10, 2023 by Lori D.

[gardenmom5]

If you still want ot make individual ones - you can line muffin cups.  Do brush (at a minimum) every other sheet with butter or olive oil. Let the sheets overhang and you can kind of fold them back over loosely.

[ScoutTN]

This is making me crave baklava and spanakopita! 

[mathnerd]

I make a basic potato filling meant to go into a potato samosa and then make a phyllo wrapping, brush with olive oil and bake. You could make it as phyllo cups as well. Healthier than deep frying the samosas. I don't eat meat, but there are kheema samosa recipes out there if you are inclined to make them ...

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/potato-samosa-phyllo-triangles-358132

 

[itsheresomewhere]

One of the best hand pies I have had recently was made with phyllo.  The beef curry one was this flaky, light so it showcased the filling and the apple one was delicious.  Or you could make individual ramekins and put the phyllo on top for a bit of a different way.