Fun with Phyllo

Fun with Phyllo was the name of the class I gave this last Saturday at the Sacramento Food Co-op's cooking school. I have given this class a few times and it has always been successful. I define a cooking class successful when people are eager to learn how to cook, in this case with phyllo, ask many questions, and are fully engaged while having fun! It's a hands-on class where people split into groups and they make different dishes using the commercial phyllo dough - the phyllo we use is very very thin layers of dough. I know that some Greek chefs refer to any thin layers of pastry as phyllo but I don't. I am referring to the phyllo you buy in the stores which the dough sheets are very thin - just like sheets of paper hence it's name. Phyllo in Greek means leaf - very thin and fragile.

I love teaching people how to handle phyllo and create with it different dishes. Last week we made small pastries with different fillings that can be served as appetizers but we also made family style dishes like chicken pie and a sweet cheese pie for dessert. When you work with phyllo you need to work fast and have the phyllo sheets covered with a moist towel so they don't get dry. I show people that even when the phyllo sheets brake you can still use it and the end result is equally beautiful.

Here is my recipe for the chicken pie. I know that many cookbooks have chicken pie recipes using phyllo. This is my modified version of a number of those recipes.

Chicken Pie

1 pound phyllo

1 cup unsalted butter

For the Filling

2 boneless chicken breasts approximately 2 pounds

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup chopped celery

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon dry oregano

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

3/4 cup chicken broth

Salt

Pepper

For the Bechamel Sauce

2 cups milk

4 ½ tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

1 egg

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup grated parmesan cheese 

First of all, prepare the filling.

Cut the chicken into small bite size cubes.

In a frying pan add the olive oil. On high heat sauté the chopped onions for a few minutes until they are soft. Add the chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and celery. Turn the heat to low.

Add the chicken broth and the herbs. Lastly, add salt and pepper to taste.

Set aside the chicken filling.

In a baking dish of approximate size  15x9 inches, place the first  two phyllo sheets at the bottom of the dish. Brush with the melted butter. Add another two phyllo sheets and repeat the same process. Add 12 sheets of phyllo at the bottom of the dish.

Add the chicken filling.

In a deep saucepan prepare the béchamel sauce.

On high heat, melt  the butter. Add the flour. Turn the heat to medium low. With a wooden spoon stir continuously the flour and butter until the mixture is smooth and soft.

The milk should be warm before adding into the mixture.

Use a whisk to stir the flour mixture with the milk. It will help dissolve any lumps.

Continue stirring until the mixture thickens a bit and it can still easily drop from a spoon. Add the nutmeg.

Remove from the heat. Whisk the egg and add it into the béchamel sauce. Stir quickly so the egg doesn’t curdle. Lastly add the grated cheese.

Pour the béchamel sauce over the chicken filling.

Add 12 sheets of phyllo over the filling, two at a time. Repeat the process you did for the bottom layers.

Using a sharp knife score the top layers into large squares.

Brush the top with butter and then sprinkle with a little bit of warm water. The water will make the top phyllo sheets crunchy once fully baked.

Bake for about 40 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees.

It is fully baked once it has a dark golden color on top.

Serves 6-8

I hope you enjoy it!

Litsa