As I mentioned before, after a long time I finally decided to use phyllo pastry and was pleasantly surprised by the result. Apart from the fact that it isn’t as difficult to handle as I thought (I assumed it would break just by looking at it!), it’s incredibly versatile because it can be filled with almost anything from sweet to savory and, another not negligible advantage compared to puff pastry – another typical base used for savory pies – is its incredible lightness and the complete absence of fat in the dough. So unless you use a super fatty filling, in fact it’s also diet-friendly.
Since I already had a big roll of this pastry I had to use it somehow and so this Sunday morning I opened the fridge and looked at what it could offer me….. I simply chose cooked ham and buffalo mozzarella, which when “encased” in this fantastic base produced a result far from ordinary.
Crispy little parcels with a soft, stringy and tasty filling inside. And even today, straight out of the oven I couldn’t let them cool…my family gobbled them all up in no time!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 triangles
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 4 phyllo pastry sheets
- 4 slices cooked ham
- 4 oz buffalo mozzarella
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
Making these phyllo triangles with cooked ham and buffalo mozzarella is embarrassingly simple; you can hardly call it a recipe, I would rather call it “packaging”! The only skill required is handling phyllo pastry, but don’t worry if you’ve never used it before — see my step-by-step instructions for a perfect and simple “packaging” of the triangle!
First, take a sheet of phyllo pastry and lay it on your work surface. With a sharp knife, cut it in half lengthwise.
Brush the surface with olive oil, overlap the first half onto the second half pressing lightly so they stick together.
Place a slice of cooked ham folded on itself in the bottom corner of the pastry strip leaving about 3/8 inch free from the edges.
Drain the mozzarella from its preserving liquid. Divide it into four parts and then cut each portion into small pieces. Place about 1/4 of the mozzarella on the slice of ham in a small heap.
Close the phyllo pastry over the filling forming a triangle. (If you have doubts about how to proceed see this link Pasta fillo: ricetta facile triangoli spinaci e feta super croccanti)Continue folding the pastry over itself always forming triangles until you reach the end of the strip. Make sure to seal the ends by brushing lightly with oil and pressing the pastry with your fingers.
Repeat the same process to form the other triangles.At this point place your phyllo parcels on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 392°F for about 15 minutes. Of course it always depends on the type of oven; you’ll know they’re done because the phyllo will puff up slightly and become lightly golden.
Once baked, remove from the oven and let them cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Of course you can replace buffalo mozzarella with regular fior di latte mozzarella or another type of cheese; try it with smoked scamorza. As you’ve understood, phyllo pastry is extremely versatile and you can fill it with whatever you like. Other pairings can be: spinach and feta (see my recipe Pasta fillo: ricetta facile triangoli spinaci e feta super croccanti), broccoli and ricotta, shrimp and spinach, pear and brie or in a sweet version apples and raisins.
