Cooking the Chronicle – Jan 31

There’s just something about phyllo dough. Brush it in butter, roll literally anything into it, and I will happily eat it. I was so excited to try this week’s recipe (“Olive and feta phyllo spirals,” Jan 31) for many reasons… it’s a tactile recipe I thought my toddler would love helping with, anything that includes feta is a winner, and I haven’t extensively cooked with phyllo before. I’m always happy for an excuse to practice with an ingredient or new skill.

Despite the fact that both my husband and I don’t enjoy olives, I wanted to try this recipe as written, using Jessica Grann’s suggested mixed Israeli olives. But I also knew that if I wanted this recipe to actually feed my family, I was going to have to think about additional fillings that would appeal to my husband and daughter. I decided to make these as a bunch of individual coils with an olive version, a spinach version, and a simple version with just the feta and mozzarella for my daughter. My parents. who were visiting, love olives, so they would be able to enjoy the original recipe as written!

This recipe has many steps, but it’s worth the journey. Grann’s advice though the recipe is also excellent guidance and I should I have listened a little more closely. Learn from my (delicious) mistakes and don’t overfill these rolls. They definitely become more difficult to roll and will tear. Although Grann is also right—phyllo is so forgiving—if you tear the dough you can kind of just pinch it together or layer another piece over it.

Let me tell you, having a toddler involved in brushing the phyllo with butter, adding the filling, and rolling the spirals is a messy endeavor. Our counters were slick with butter. I took a deep breath and just let go of  the idea that all of the filling would make it into the pastry. Much of it ended up on the floor for my parent’s dog to enjoy.

Once all the small individual rolls were organized on our baking tray, I stepped back and realized just how beautiful this dish was. It’s a showstopper and would get many ooos and ahhs when it was placed in the middle of the table all golden and brown. My mind went to work… what else could we fill these spirals with? Potato, like a boreka. Scrambled eggs and cheese for brunch. Red peppers and feta. Let your imagination go wild!

I tasted the final product and to me, the olives were too briny. I may have enjoyed it with green olives in a more mild brine, or a Kalamata olive. But the version with spinach and feta was outstanding. This is a fun and versatile recipe that you should make and share with others!