These savory filled phyllo dough baskets were a big hit with my son Andrea, who devoured them before even sitting at the table!
They are a relatively quick preparation that we can vary in many ways!
HOW CAN I VARY THE FILLING OF PHYLLO DOUGH BASKETS AS AN APPETIZER?
So keeping the creamy part of the bechamel sauce, we can add:
• leftover cheeses like scamorza, provola, mozzarella and maybe put a teaspoon of ragù instead of the quail egg,
• mix into the bechamel sauce some diced vegetables like carrots and zucchini just sautéed with some aromatic herbs
• put 2 confit cherry tomatoes
• add a bit of pesto with or without Genoese garlic
• combine with the spreadable creamy cheese some diced pears caramelized with butter and brown sugar in a pan, and much more!
HOW CAN I VARY THE SHELL THAT CONTAINS THE FILLING OF FINGER FOOD BASKETS?
In the fridge, I always have a package of phyllo dough because it is not always available in the supermarkets I frequent, and I try to have more than I normally use because it keeps for a long time, saving time and money.
The PHYLLO DOUGH is typical of Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine, used for both sweet and savory recipes.
It is made up of very thin sheets that need to be greased between layers and covered with a slightly damp cloth as we use it because it dries out and gets ruined in seconds!
To change the texture and also the sensation on the palate when eating, I can use crispy yet chewable puff pastry, which absorbs the contents and can soften quite a bit over time, the crunchier ‘pasta matta’, or even shortcrust pastry.
HOW TO SERVE PHYLLO DOUGH BASKETS AS A FINGER FOOD APPETIZER IN A SAVORY BUFFET?
As they say, presentation matters too, so we can place the filled phyllo baskets in paper cups, which are also available at a low cost on Amazon or in 1-euro stores found in many cities in our regions, perhaps arranged symmetrically or circularly on a serving tray, or organize them decoratively on a stand 
WHAT TO DRINK WITH GREEK PHYLLO FINGER FOOD BASKETS?
If they are part of a rich appetizer buffet, we can place on the table a pitcher with some non-alcoholic blond or red drink, natural water, a spritz, rigorously Italian sparkling wine, even non-alcoholic beer like Tourtel, for example!
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°I have opened an open and free recipe channel on WhatsApp, no notifications, no sound, which you can join by clicking the link here https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaHbGIn9cDDig7Cw2x0F and every day you can read one sweet and one savory recipe! °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°““““““““°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
STILL ON THE APPETIZER THEME, here are some tasty ideas just below:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 12 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 pack phyllo dough
- 12 quail eggs
- 12 tablespoons bechamel sauce
- 8 teaspoons Grana Padano cheese, grated
- as needed vegetable oil (for the phyllo dough)
- as needed chives
- as needed salt
- as needed pepper
Tools
- Muffin pans
- Brushes
- Scissors
- Coffee cups
FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE RECIPE SAVORY AND FILLED PHYLLO DOUGH BASKETS
So….. I turn on the oven to 356°F static and start making the phyllo baskets by unrolling the pack purchased at the supermarket.
I also put a little vegetable oil in a coffee cup and cut 3-4 inch squares from the phyllo dough, but not one by one, taking half the sheets at once to save time… Also, because they look nice with slightly staggered tips, right?
I lightly oil the bottom of the muffin pans and arrange 4-5 cut phyllo sheets, oiling almost all the sheets and pressing well onto the bottom of the muffin pan.
Now I add a tablespoon of ready-made bechamel sauce and with a teaspoon create a small hole, raising the sauce towards the walls of the molds to create the cavity where I place the quail egg in succession.
Now I salt and pepper each small filled phyllo basket and add grated Grana cheese and finally some washed and coarsely chopped chives.
All that’s left is to bake for about 15-20 minutes, checking that the inside remains deliciously creamy, ready to explode delightfully in the mouth at the first bite!
They are not bad, my son Andrea fell in love with them and ate an entire tray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Enjoy your meal! Annalisa
I remind you that at the top, where you see the blog menu, you will find a magnifying glass 🔍 that will allow you, by entering an ingredient or the title of a recipe, to find all the preparations that have that title or that ingredient, and I hope that among these you will read recipes to your liking!
