Guess what I have in the freezer. Phyllo dough that I didn't know what to do with.

Thank you for the terrific idea!!!

Guess I'm gonna hafta get some Phyllo.

That looks unbelievably good.

Rusty

I'm drooling :o)

Looks good Darch! I make a phyllo pizza too but it is more of an appetizer than a meal.

Thanks guys!

Using phyllo dough can give you a pizza very quick and less calories. Happens to taste very good too.

Chase, now that's a very nice appitizer! I am going to have to try that when my tomatoes are ripe.

dcarch

Those both look wonderful. Sharon, is that rosemary on yours?

Dcarch, I always thought phyllo dough was nothing but calories...am I wrong?

Sally

Posted by sally2 ---Those both look wonderful. Sharon, is that rosemary on yours?
Dcarch, I always thought phyllo dough was nothing but calories...am I wrong? Sally--"

Sally, may be you are thinking of puff pastry dough. I believe phyllo dough does not use fat.

Also, butter is used in a lot of recipes using phyllo dough. I used olive oil instead.

When you use phyllo dough for pizza, there is a lot less dough comparing with regular pizza.

dcarch

I expected to find plated eel.

Very interesting! Can you pick up the slices - does the phyllo have enough stiffness?

" Posted by jojoco ----- I expected to find plated eel."

I did have eel, but that was for making sushi. I was going to put some anchovies , but I thought there was too much going on already.

"Posted by johnliu -- ----Very interesting! Can you pick up the slices - does the phyllo have enough stiffness?"

For this pizza, you will want to eat it on a plate. Phyllo dough is very flaky and crispy.

I will explain how I made this pizza if anyone is interested.

dcarch

Sally, yes, it's rosemary.

I make mine with melted butter between the layers so it's certainly no calorie saver! Will have to try EVOO.

The one I make can be eaten out of hand but as you can see there is much less in the way of toppings so it's fairly light.

Dcarch and chase, please do tell how to use the dough. It's probably obvious, but sometimes I'm chicken. Thanks.

Sherry

Yes, recipes would be nice, thank you.

Dcarch, I guess I have equated phyllo dough with puff pastry. I don't know why. I haven't worked much or at all with either one, so no telling where I got that notion.

Sally

Sherrman it is super easy for my recipe because you just lay the sheets flat, no folding etc. This makes a very nice appetizer.

Stacked Pizza

7 sheets phyllo pastry
1/2 Cup butter melted
7 Tbl freshly grated parmesan
1 1/2 Cup grated mozzarella
1 sweet onion sliced thinly And Separated Into Rings
5-6 roma tomatoes sliced
1 Tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste ( I don't use
any I find the parm salty enough and I forget about the pepper!!!)
fresh herbs sprigs thyme oregano or rosemary

Preheat oven to 375. Follow package instructions to thaw phyllo. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on baking sheet, brush with butter and sprinkle with 1 TBSP of the parmesan cheese. Repeat until all layers are used. Press down firmly so layers stick together. Sprinkle top sheet with mozzarella.

Place onions on top then place tomatoes on top. Season with oregano. Bake for 20-25 minutes until edges are golden, and the bottom is cooked.

Decorate with fresh herbs and cut into squares (squares can be cut in half to make two bite trinagles)

Notes: I slice the onions and then cut the circles in half to arrange on top. I also try and line the tomatoes up in a diagonal pattern, I don't place them randomly, and then when I cut it I cut the squares so each piece has 1 roma slice. I also don't measure anything anymore I just sprinkle the cheese. I use rosemary but I cut the leaves off the stems.

I've often cooked it with the rosemary on it. I also line my baking sheet with parchment paper.

"Posted by sherrmann ---Dcarch and chase, please do tell how to use the dough. It's probably obvious, but sometimes I'm chicken. Thanks. Sherry"

There may be other ways, but this is my way:
----------------------------
Objective:

To make a low-calorie pizza thats different, tasty and interesting, good enough to serve in a party
---------------------------
Problems:

To me, its nice to have a round pizza, but phyllo dough is rectangular.
How to keep phyllo dough from getting soggy?
How to form up-turn edges with phyllo to pond sauce and toppings?
--------------------------------------

Steps:
1. Take out phyllo dough from the freezer to thaw.
2. Use a large skillet, I used a 12" non-stick pan,
3. heat up about a cup of olive oil, not too hot, just so that the oil can flow better,
4. paint the pan with oil, including all the way up the sides
5. lay one sheet of dough on pan, all the way up the sides of the pan to form pizza edges. The oil will make the dough stick to the sides.
6. Paint the dough with oil, and lay the next sheet of dough; repeat for each sheet of dough and follow the circular shape of the pan. I used the entire half pack of dough.
7. If the dough is too dry and tends to crack, cover it with a moist towel for a while.
8. With the dough covering the entire pan, now sprinkle a thin layer of mozzarella cheese on the dough and bake until the cheese is melted and covering the dough. This will prevent the dough from getting soggy from the sauce.
9. Now it is up to you to choose the kind of sauce and filling for the pizza. I used canned tomato sauce. I thickened the tomato sauce a little with tapioca so that it would not make the dough soggy. I had sliced turkey meat balls and non-fat mozzarella cheese toppings on mine.
10. Spread the sauce and toppings on the cheese-covered dough and some more cheese on top of everything and place the pan in the oven to bake until the phyllo dough is fakey and crispy. I removed the pans handle just in case it might get damaged in the oven.
11. Once the pizza is done, take it out from the oven, and cover the pan with a large cookie sheet. The pizza will come out from the pan easily when you flip the whole thing over.
12. Put a large plate over the upside-down pizza and flip it over again, and the pizza is now right-side up on the plate ready to be served.

dcarch

Yes, I've also made "pizza" from phyllo dough and I liked it better than traditional pizza. I don't much like working with phyllo but this was pretty easy and didn't take a lot of fussy preparation.

Because I don't like traditional pizza, mine was mostly mushrooms, onions, etc., and it's an Eating Well recipe so it does use olive oil and it's relatively healthy and low fat. I used to have a picture, but now I can't find it, but the recipe was pretty good. I don't care for goat cheese so I left it out.

Eating Well's Mushroom Pizza

3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup soft goat cheese, (2 ounces)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon butter
4 cups mixed wild mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 large leek, white part only, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced and thoroughly washed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white wine
10 sheets (14x18-inch) or 20 sheets (9x14-inch) thawed phyllo dough, (see Timing Tip)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs

Directions
1. Combine ricotta, goat cheese, rosemary and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside. 2. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, leek and salt and cook, stirring, until the leek starts to soften and the mushrooms release their juices, about 3 minutes. Pour in wine and simmer until the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Set aside. 3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet (approximately 12 by 17 inches) with parchment paper. Lay one large sheet of phyllo on the prepared pan. (If using the smaller size, slightly overlap two sheets to form a rectangle.) Keep the remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap or wax paper and a damp kitchen towel. 4. Lightly coat the phyllo with oil using a pastry brush. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon breadcrumbs. Repeat this step, layering the remaining phyllo on top. Carefully roll about 3/4 inch of each side toward the center to form the outer rim of the tart. 5. Spread the reserved cheese mixture evenly over the phyllo. Top with the reserved mushroom mixture. 6. Bake the tart until the crust is brown and crispy, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. To serve, lift the parchment paper and slide the tart onto a cutting board or large platter. Serve warm.

Annie

I like to make the Mallorcan version of pizza without cheese, called "Coca de Verduras", or vegetable tart.

They are sold in nearly every bakery and are often eaten out of hand while standing up in the bakery, as a breakfast on the way to work, or as an afternoon snack on the way home or after school. They are usually eaten at room temperature and make wonderful side dishes for a cold summer buffet, picnic or evening snack.

There are many variations of coca and in winter the peppers may be substituted by Swiss chard or spinach and without tomatoes. Here is one recipe which is also know as 'Coca de Trempó'. Often the red peppers are skinned and in strips, and accompanied on top of the coca by artichoke hearts, olives and anchovies. This would be called 'Coca Amb Pebres', where 'pebres' are the red peppers in the Mallorquin dialect.

Or made in a loose bottom pan topped with tomato, veg, olives & tuna:

Vegetable Tart - Coca de Verduras
(From the Island of Mallorca)

Ingredients for 4 people:

4 cups (500 grams) all purpose flour
1 oz (25 grams fresh yeast or 1 pkg dry yeast
4 TBS olive oil
1/4 cup (2 oz or 50 grams) lard
3 medium Italian sweet green peppers or green bell peppers cut in small pieces
3 spring onions - cut in small pieces including all the stalk
3 ripe medium sized tomatoes- sliced finely
1 clove of garlic - sliced finely
1 handful of Italian flatleaf parsley, chopped
1 TBS of sweet red paprika
salt
water - 1 cup lukewarm

1) Turn on the oven and set temperature at 375 F (191 C)

2) Put the warm water in a mixing bowl (preferrable one of porcelain or terracotta) and dissolve the yeast in it.

3) Add the lard and the olive oil. Add the flour gradually, mixing in by hand until the mixture leaves the side of the bowl.

4) Form a ball and let it rest for a few minutes while you prepare the vegetables.

5) Chop and slice vegetables into a large bowl, add the paprika and some salt and mix all together.

6) Lightly oil either a round pan of about 13" diameter (32 Cm) or a rectangular pan 13" x 11" (32 Cm x 27 Cm) both with a depth of approx 1/2 inch (1 cm). A cookie sheet or oven tray would be ideal.

7) Place dough in centre and carefully stretch it out with palms of hands, patting to fit pan, keeping an even thickness. It should be thin.

8) Arrange vegetables evenly on top of the dough, drizzling at the same time with olive oil and salt.

9) Put coca into oven for about 1 hour or until crust is lightly golden and vegetables are cooked. After taking it out of the oven, drizzle a little more olive oil on top.

10) You can eat this hot or cold. In winter the vegetables may be swiss chard or spinach, substituting the peppers, but also used raw and finely chopped.

Source: translated from "Cocina Balear" Ana Maria Calera
Editorial Everest - Leon (España)

SharonCb