Artichoke-Filled Fillo Triangles with make-ahead options

These make-ahead appetizers are not only tasty but very convenient to have on hand as they can be made ahead and frozen . . . ready to bake as needed. 

Artichoke-Filled Fillo Triangles        Yield:  about 60 triangles

1 package frozen fillo (phyllo) dough, thawed according to pkg. directions

About 2 cups butter, melted

About 3 cups artichoke filling (recipe follows. 

1. Preheat oven to 375 to 400°. Lightly spray a parchment lined cookie sheet with pan coating.  
2. Unroll fillo dough and remove 2 sheets. Cover unused dough with plastic wrap and enclose in a damp towel (from which all excess moisture has been squeezed) to keep sheets from drying out; make sure the damp towel does not come in direct contact with the fillo. 
3. Brush each sheet lightly with melted butter and stack one on top of the other.  

   

   2 buttered follo sheets, one on top of another. 

4. Cut the sheet into about 3” strips using a sharp knife (you’ll get three 3” strips).
5. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling hear the end of each strip.
6. Fold fillo corner diagonally over teaspoon of filling to form a triangle. Continue folding flag-fashion to opposite end. 
   

   
7. Brush bottoms and tops with butter and place on prepared pan. Repeat process until all dough is used. 

   

   I placed the triangles on a silicon lined tray (relatively close together), brushed them lightly with another layer of butter, and then froze them. See Make-Ahead Option below.)

8. Bake until light golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool at least slightly before serving.
   

Make Ahead Option: Spread filled but unbaked triangles on a parchment or foil-lined tray. Set in freezer until solid and then add triangles to a freezer container (best to store triangles in layers with wax paper or plastic wrap separating each layer). When ready to use, remove from freezer and bake (from frozen state) as directed above; a few extra minutes of baking time may be required.

Triangles can also be made one day, covered with plastic wrap, refrigerated, and then baked the next day.

Notes: 

3 sheets can also be used for an even flakier appetizer.  

For one-bite appetizers, cut strips about 1 1/2” wide.

 

Artichoke Filling      Yield: about 2 cups filling

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained and diced

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup (4 oz.) grated Cheddar cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano   

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients until well blended.

 

Fillo Dough TIPS from Athens Award Winning Fillo Dough Recipes booklet: 

Use approximately 1/2 cup butter for 16 full-sized sheets of fillo dough, or 1/2 Tbsp. of butter per full fillo sheet. (8 Tbsp. = 1/2 cup = 1 stick butter). Unsalted butter is preferred but salted also works.  Yes, margarine, oil or even pan spray can be used but the taste will be not be the same and the pastry will not be as light and flakey. Never wet or brush the fillo sheets (or "leaves," as the Greeks refer to them) with water. Doing so can cause the fillo to fall apart. 

Don't fret if the dough gets small tears or cracks in it. The dough is so thin that such cracks are inevitable. Simply brush the area with melted butter, patch up the problem area with a small piece of dough, and brush over it again with some more butter.

Because pastries using fillo are made with melted butter, always bake them on a pan with a lip to catch any runoff.

Baking times for fillo range from 350 to 400°..

Unused, leftover fillo sheets can be refrozen for up to 3 months.

For more information: http://www.athensfoods.com/consumers/recipes.aspx#shapes

Recipe without photos . . .

Artichoke-Filled Fillo Triangles        Yield:  about 60 triangles

1 package frozen fillo (phyllo) dough, thawed according to pkg. directions

About 2 cups butter, melted

About 3 cups artichoke filling (recipe follows. 

1. Preheat oven to 375 to 400°. Lightly spray a parchment lined cookie sheet with pan coating.  
2. Unroll fillo dough and remove 2 sheets. Cover unused dough with plastic wrap and enclose in a damp towel (from which all excess moisture has been squeezed) to keep sheets from drying out; make sure the damp towel does not come in direct contact with the fillo. 
3. Brush each sheet lightly with melted butter and stack one on top of the other.  
4. Cut the sheet into about 3” strips using a sharp knife (you’ll get three 3” strips).
5. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling hear the end of each strip.
6. Fold fillo corner diagonally over teaspoon of filling to form a triangle. Continue folding flag-fashion to opposite end. 
7. Brush bottoms and tops with butter and place on prepared pan. Repeat process until all dough is used. 
8. Bake until light golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool at least slightly before serving.: 

Make Ahead Option: Spread filled but unbaked triangles on a parchment or foil-lined tray. Set in freezer until solid and then add triangles to a freezer container (best to store triangles in layers with wax paper or plastic wrap separating each layer). When ready to use, remove from freezer and bake (from frozen state) as directed above; a few extra minutes of baking time may be required.

Triangles can also be made one day, covered with plastic wrap, refrigerated, and then baked the next day.

Notes: 

3 sheets can also be used for an even flakier appetizer.  

For one-bite appetizers, cut strips about 1 1/2” wide.

 

Artichoke Filling      Yield: about 2 cups filling

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained and diced

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup (4 oz.) grated Cheddar cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano   

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients until well blended.

Baklav Rounds -- recipe as it appear in 2012 Taste of Home Christmas cookbook edition

My complimentary copy of Taste of Home’s 2012Christmas Cookbook arrived about a month ago. A recipe I submitted appears on p. 121 and I am posting it below. It is a recipe that I prepared for a Christmas tea at the Kirby House restaurant several years ago.

Baklav Rounds

Prep: 40 min.   Bake: 20 min. + standind  

Yield: 32 cookies

In need of a sweet treat that I could prepare ahead, I streamlined a recipe I found online. These crispy, flaky little rounds were the result. They were a big hit at an elegant tea I catered. Meta West * Abilene, Kansas                                                           
1 cup suagr

¾ cup water

10 orange peel strips (1 to 3 inches)

Filling:

   1½ cups walnut pieces

   ½  cup  slivered almonds

   ¼ cup sugar

   1 teaspoon almond extract

   ½  teaspoon ground cinnamon 

   ½  teaspoon ground cloves

18 sheets phyllo (fillo) dough (14-inch x 9-inch sheet size)

¾ cup butter, melted

     In a large saucepan, bring the sugar, water and orange rind (or substitute orange syrup); bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until thickened. Strain and discard peel; set aside.

     In food processor, combine the  walnuts, almonds, sugar, almond extract, cinnamon and cloves; process until finely chopped.

     Place one sheet of phyllo on work surface, brush with butter. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.) Sprinkle with about 1/3 cup of the nut mixture. Repeat layers twice.

     Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side. Brush roll with butter. Trim edges. Cut into 16 slices, about ¾ in. each. Repeat with ramining phyllo, butter and filling.

     Bake in 350 oven for 10 minutes, Gently turn cookies over; bake 10-15 mintues longer or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wireracks over waxed paper.

     Spoon half of the syrup over cookies. Let stand for 15 minutes. Drizzle with remaining syrup. Cool completely.

TO MAKE AHEAD: Prepare as direted. Freeze in a single layer on sawec paper-lined baking sheet. Once frozen, package in freezer bags, separating layers with waxed paper. Theaw in a single layer before serving.

Links to my other recipes for appeared in previous Taste of Home’s holiday cookbook:

2011 edition — Polenta Spoons with Caramelized Mushrooms

2010 edition — Mini Cheese Balls

Nutty Cinnamon Roll Ups

    We just taught a hands-on  fillo* class at the Culinary Center of Kansas City  so this recipe is for all those cooks who have proven that working with this paper-thin dough is really not all that difficult!  Once the mysteries of fillo have been dispelled, these roll ups should be a snap to prepare. And, they are delicious!

*Other spellings include filo or phyllo.

Nutty Cinnamon Roll Ups     Make 1 1/2 dozen

3/4 cup chopped nuts, toasted (use all almonds, walnuts or a combination of favorite nuts)

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

12 sheets fillo dough (14” x 9”)

Melted butter for brushing on fillo sheets (see tip below for approximate amount)

1/4 cup honey, divided

1.     Place nuts in food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. Add sugar, butter and cinnamon; cover and process until blended.

2.     Place one sheet of fillo on a work surface. Brush with melted butter. Repeat with second layer. (Keep remaining fillo dough covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to avoid drying out.) Spread 1/3 cup nut mixture over fillo to within 1” of sides, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of honey. Layer with 2 more sheets of fillo, spraying each layer with cooking spray.

3.     Roll up jelly-roll style, starting from short side. Repeat with remaining fillo, nut mixture and honey.

4.     With a sharp knife, cut each roll into 6 pieces; place seam side down on a greased or sprayed baking sheet. Spray round with cooking spray. Bake in a preheated 325° oven for 16 to 20 minutes or until golden; drizzle with remaining honey.

Fillo Dough Tips:

• Allow frozen fillo dough to thaw in refrigerator overnight.
• Carefully unroll fillo sheets onto a smooth, dry surface.
• Cover fillo completely with plastic wrap and then with a damp towel.
• Use a small stack of fillo at a time.  Cover other sheets completely with plastic wrap and set aside.  Do not leave uncovered for more than one minute to avoid drying out.
• Use approximately 1/2 cup butter for 16 full-sized sheets of fillo dough, or 1/2 Tbsp. of butter per full fillo sheet. (8 Tbsp. = 1/2 cup = 1 stick butter). Unsalted butter is preferred but salted also works.  Yes, margarine, oil or even pan spray can be used but the taste will be not be the same and the pastry will not be as light and flakey. Never wet or brush the fillo sheets (or "leaves," as the Greeks refer to them) with water. Doing so can cause the fillo to fall apart.
• To prevent edges from cracking, brush edges first and then work into center.
• Don't fret if the dough gets small tears or cracks in it. The dough is so thin that such cracks are inevitable. Simply brush the area with melted butter, patch up the problem area with a small piece of dough, and brush over it again with some more butter.
• Fillings should be chilled and not excessively moist.
• Because pastries using fillo are made with melted butter, always bake them on a pan with a lip to catch any runoff.
• Unused fillo may be rolled in plastic wrap, tightly sealed & refrozen for up to 3 months.
Visit Athens Foods website for other tips, shaping diagrams and lots more recipes.