Egyptian Phyllo Pastry Fingers Asabi Gullash Recipes

PHYLLO MEAT PIE (EGYPTIAN GOULASH)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Carefully lay the thawed phyllo dough sheets between two lightly damp kitchen towels.
• Begin with preparing the meat filling. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick pan. On medium-high heat, saute the chopped onions briefly. Add the ground beef. Cook until fully browned, tossing regularly. Remove the pan from the heat briefly to drain any fat, then return back to the stove. Add in the spices and stir to fully combine. Remove from the heat.
• Now, to assemble the phyllo pie, lay three to four sheets of phyllo dough on the bottom of a lightly greased 9 1/2 x 13 x 2 1/4 inch baking pan. Fold any excess dough in. Brush the top phyllo sheet generously with olive oil (or oil and butter mixture). Repeat this step as you lay three to four sheets of phyllo at a time in the baking pan until you have used up 1/2 of the phyllo sheets.
• Now, as you have a nice base for your pie, spread the meat filling evenly on top of the last phyllo sheet.
• Layer the remaining sheets on top of the meat repeating the same process as before (again, three or four sheets at a time, fold excess phyllo and brush with the olive oil) until all phyllo is used up.
• Brush the top sheet with olive oil (or oil and butter mixture). With a sharp knife, cut the phyllo pie into 12 squares.
• Season the prepared milk and egg mixture with salt and pepper and pour evenly over the pie.
• Place the phyllo meat pie on the middle rack of the 350 degrees F heated-oven for about 30 to 45, or until cooked through. The phyllo should be crispy and it should turn a nice golden brown. Be watchful so that pie does not over bake or burn.
• Serve warm with a side salad! Enjoy!

EGYPTIAN PHYLLO-PASTRY FINGERS- ASABI GULLASH

Steps:

• Cut the pastry into 4 inch squares and keep covered so that they don't dry out. Plastic wrap covered by a damp tea-towel works well.
• Add cinnamon to nut mix.
• On each square, place nut filling thinly, pencil shaped, about 1/2 inch from the sides of the dough.
• Turn in the sides so the filling won't fall out, and then roll up tightly and place on a buttered tray.
• Brush with the melted butter and bake in a 350 degree oven until golden.
• Remove from tray and dip immediately into cold sugar syrup.
• Serve hot or cool.

EGYPTIAN SPICY MEAT PIE IN A PHYLLO CRUST

Steps:

• Prepare pan: generously butter a 13x9-inch baking pan; set aside.
• To prepare filling: heat oil in a wide saute pan over moderate heat; add in the onion; cook just until the onion is beginning to color, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic; cook for a few seconds longer, making sure the garlic doesn't burn.
• Use a wooden spoon to stir in and break up the ground beef; cook for 10 minutes, continuing to break up any large clumps.
• Stir in bell pepper and the chili along with the seasonings; simmer mixture until the meat is completely cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• Scrape the mixture into a bowl; cool to room temperature.
• Assemble the pie: place a phyllo sheet in the bottom of the prepared pan and drizzle with butter.
• Place another sheet on top of the first and drizzle with butter; repeat to make a bottom crust of 10 sheets of dough.
• Spread the meat filling evenly on the dough and top the filling with another 10 sheets of dough, drizzling butter between the layers as for the bottom crust (butter the top sheet).
• Use a sharp knife to cut through about half the layers of the top crust into 3 inch squares, then cut across the squares in the same way to make triangles; cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
• Make the yogurt sauce: line a strainer with wet cheesecloth or a paper towel and scrape the yogurt into it.
• Place the strainer over a bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate the yogurt and allow it to drain overnight; after the yogurt has drained, scrape it into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.
• Add in garlic and let processor run for 30 seconds; with the processor running, drizzle in the oil through the feed tube.
• Scrape the sauce into a bowl, whisk in salt to taste, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
• When you are ready to bake the pie, set oven rack in middle of oven and preheat to 375°F.
• Bake the pie until the dough is well baked through, about 40 minutes.
• Brush the top of the pie with butter or olive oil as soon as you remove it from the oven.
• Serve the pie immediately or let cool to room temperature.
• To serve: using the markings on the top crust as your guide, cut through the filling and bottom crust with a sharp knife; use an offset spatula or pie server to lift the section from the pan; place each on a plate and spoon some of the yogurt sauce next to the pastry.