Phyllo is famously used in Greek cooking to make sweet and savory dishes like baklava and spanakopita. The tissue-thin dough also works well in recipes where some type of filling is cocooned, enchilada-style. to create a crisp and flaky roll up.
For instance, take a phyllo bake that pairs a winning combination of apple, Gruyere or Swiss cheese, baby spinach and sweet or spicy sausage with ricotta cheese and beaten eggs. The result is a creamy, savory dish that comes together in just a few minutes. This is a great make-ahead entree for those days and nights when you know you're not going to have the time or energy to cook.
I used Swiss cheese and Granny Smith apples and doubled the amount of phyllo sheets (two per roll up) from the original recipe. Also, Jamie Oliver used ham instead of sausage.
With a salad, this makes a great lunch or light dinner, and you also could thinly slice the rolls to turn them into passable appetizers.
Easy Egg And Sausage
Phyllo Bake
8 large eggs
2 large eating apples
3 ounces Gruyere or Swiss cheese
4 ounces cooked and crumbled sweet or spicy sausage
8 ounces baby spinach, chopped
1 bunch scallions or chives, trimmed and finely chopped
5 ounces ricotta cheese
Fresh grated black pepper
Salt to taste
Olive oil or melted butter for pan
12 sheets of phyllo pastry, thawed
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Beat eggs in a large bowl. Coarsely grate in the apples and most of the Gruyere or Swiss.
Add cooked sausage, spinach and scallions or chives to the eggs. Then add ricotta cheese. Season with a good grind of black pepper and salt and mix again. Pour the mixture through a colander into another bowl, separating the eggs from the filling. (About a cup of liquid.) Put egg mixture aside.
Rub a deep 14-by-12-inch casserole dish with a little olive oil or melted butter. Lay out one sheet of phyllo (I used two sheets), brush with a little more butter or oil, then evenly spread over one-sixth of the filling. Roll up and place in the oiled pan, folding in the edges.
Repeat with the remaining sheets of phyllo and the remaining filling.
Brush the top with a little oil, then bake in the bottom of the oven for 20 minutes. Evenly pour the reserved egg mixture on top along with remaining cheese.
Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.
Makes 6 servings.
Adapted from "7 Ways: Easy Ideas for Every Day of the Week" by Jamie Oliver (Flatiron Books; November 2020)