Penne Wrapped In Phyllo Recipes

Steps:

• roast the nuts on a baking sheet in a 350 oven for 5-7 minutes.
• mix the oil and the butter.
• brush the phyllo sheets individually with butter mixture and stack on top of one another.
• spread chopped tomatoes,basil,garlic and toasted nuts in a round that matches that of the cheese.
• fold the phyllo dough individually over the cheese and brush lightly with butter.
• press the dough against the cheese to form a tight, smooth package.
• place the wrapped cheese in a 9 inch pie pan.
• brush the top with the butter mixture.
• bake in a 350 oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
• cool for 10 minutes.

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, lemon zest and juice, almond extract and sugar. Stir well and set aside.
• Lay 1 sheet phyllo dough horizontally on a flat surface. Brush lightly with butter. Fold phyllo in half, left to right, and brush the top lightly with butter. Then fold phyllo in half, top to bottom, and brush the top lightly with butter again. Fold once more, left to right. You should have a 4-by-6-inch rectangle. Brush top with butter and trim edges. Repeat with remaining 5 sheets phyllo, using 2 tablespoons butter per pastry. Lay pastry packages on a parchment-lined baking sheet and heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Spread each pastry package with a generous tablespoon of ricotta filling. Snip stems from figs and open them into star shapes by cutting from stem end in quarters, nearly to the bottom of the fig. Top each pastry package with 2 figs. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over each package.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove from oven, sprinkle with chopped almonds and drizzle lightly with honey. Serve at room temperature. If desired, cut pastries in half to make 12 small servings.

Steps:

• Place 2 cups flour in a mixing bowl; make a well in the center. Drizzle in olive oil and add salt; add white wine vinegar and warm water. Mix until dough just comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 1 or 2 minutes. Transfer dough ball to a lightly floured work surface.
• Knead until dough is smooth, using just enough flour to keep it from sticking to the work surface or your hands, 2 or 3 minutes. Continue to knead until dough is supple and elastic, about 5 more minutes. Wrap dough ball in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature, 1 to 2 hours.
• Divide dough into 20 (20 gram) portions using a kitchen scale; roll each portion into a ball. Place on plate and cover with plastic wrap to prevent dough balls from drying out while you begin to roll them out. Work in batches of 5.
• Mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons flour together in a bowl. Dust a work surface and the first dough ball with the cornstarch mixture. Flatten out the dough ball and roll out into a circle, about 5 inches in diameter. Dust again with cornstarch mixture. Set circle to one side. Roll out 4 more dough balls to about the same diameter and stack them on the first one, dusting each layer with more of the cornstarch mixture to keep them from sticking together.
• When you have 5 circles, roll out the stack to a larger circle about double in size, turning as you go to maintain a round shape. Separate each layer and lay out the circles. Re-apply more cornstarch mixture where needed and restack them. Roll again until the 5-layer stack is paper thin, about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Place on a sheet of parchment paper; top with another piece of parchment. Gently roll up the dough; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate.
• Repeat with the remaining 15 balls of dough in batches of 5.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a small saucepan, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter, add the shallots and saute briefly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• In a bowl, add the penne, shallots, ricotta, fontina, parmesan, eggs, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Combine well.
• In a small saucepan, melt the remaining butter over very low heat. Keep warm.
• On a large work surface, place 1 phyllo sheet, short-end close to you, and brush with the melted butter.
• Keep remaining phyllo sheets covered with a damp towel while you work.
• Top phyllo sheet with another sheet, brushing with melted butter. Continue until you have layered 5 sheets of phyllo.
• Spoon 1/3 of the pasta mixture along the short end of the layered phyllo closest to you, leaving a 1/2 inch border on all sides.
• Top pasta with 6 asparagus spears.
• Very carefully roll the end of the phyllo closest to you away from you, encasing the penne and asparagus.
• Fold in each edge, lengthwise, and continue to roll jellyroll fashion, brushing with a little more butter to make it stick together.
• The pasta roll will be about 10 inches long and about 3 inches wide.
• Repeat this procedure with the remaining phyllo and filling until you have 3 phyllo rolls.
• Place the phyllo rolls seam-side down on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.
• With a sharp knife, make slight scores, on the diagonal, into each roll - as you would bread. Be careful not to cut too deep or you will have the mixture coming out and it will not look pretty.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until very golden.
• Let sit 15-20 minutes before serving.
• Penne wrapped in phyllo freezes beautifully for up to 2 months. If frozen, place into a 325F oven for 50 minutes.