PHYLLO CRUNCH

Let me tell you beforehand- this post was not supposed to be about the featured phyllo crunchies. This post was meant to be about this wonderful dish (please, I hope I do not sound too stuck up!) I had cooked up the other day. It was supposed to be about this delectable gilthead bream/daurade on a bed of sunny colourful Mediterranean vegetables which were cooked with tons of fresh basil and also served with sautéed gnocchi and finally everything was blessed with a very delicate lemony creamy light sauce… just perfect with a glass of white wine… argh… my mouth waters each time I start thinking of it. The thing is, it was nothing too fancy shmancy, but I had this exact precise structured way I wanted to plate the dish…and -drama in the kitchen- a disaster happened. The plating did not turn out how I had planned and so that is how these totally unrelated phyllo bites take over for this post. Voilà. Not sure if any of the above made sense, but I promise I will redo this fish dish of mine, I will make sure it turns out looking as I want, and then I will be more then happy to share the result with you. As you can clearly see, I do have somewhat of an obsessive perfectionist edge when it comes to food.

:-)

Anyway, so I guess today I can instead share a quick & super easy recipe if you happen to have feta, phyllo, olive oil and vegetables in the likes of zucchini, red pepper, etc etc… I love phyllo- I even prefer it over puff pastry. I love it’s amazing crispiness, luminous golden colour, geometric beauty and also as a bonus- it’s healthier because it’s not as greasy! These phyllo squares take 5 mins to wrap up and less then 15 mins in the oven. They are brushed with olive oil and stuffed generously with feta, grilled vegetables and black olives. In a matter of seconds, the phyllo parcels are ready to bake and are sealed with sprinkles of sesame. As simple as that- recipe at the end to prove it!

Almost ready to go into the oven...

Enjoy immediately while it's still warm and crunchy!
Recipe for crunchy phyllo feta & grilled vegetable squares:

Phyllo
Feta
Zucchini- thin slices
Red pepper – chopped into large dices
Black olives – without the seeds
Olive oil
Sesame seeds
Salt & Pepper

How to make it:
Preheat oven to th8. Place the veggies on a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, and grill in the oven until they colour nicely. Take out when ready, set aside, and lower oven to th6. Roll out the phyllo and brush both sides lightly with olive oil. In the center of each sheet, place a generous amount of feta and top off with the olives and grilled vegetables. Add a pinch of salt & pepper. Wrap up, brush with olive oil again if you feel it’s not sticking together properly, and add a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes.