Recipe verdict: Both were tasty, though I think the purses may just be more trouble than they’re worth. I could make a reasonable alternative by placing the filling in mini-pot pie shells (whether actual pie crust or biscuits)...much less hassle.
The soup could use some oomph. I split the leftovers into three bowls; I may experiment with them. I’ll let you know if I figure out what it’s missing.
15. Tomato Lentil Soup
This has got to be one of the easiest recipes I’ve made in a while. Chop, cook, simmer. I like these recipes.
2 tbs olive oil
2 c (2 small) chopped onions
1 c (2 large stalks) celery, sliced
1 c (1 medium) carrot, sliced thin
6 c water
1 c dried lentils
2/3 c (6 oz can) tomato paste
1/2 c dry red wine or water
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley or 2 tsp dried
3 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and carrot; cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in remaining ingredients (except Parmesan). Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes or until lentils are tender. Serve sprinkled with cheese. (I skipped this, because I had the beggar’s purses too.)
16. Corn Beggar’s Purses
I’m convinced that there’s a gene for being able to work successfully with phyllo dough…and I don’t have it. I love the stuff, though, so I keep trying.
2 medium ears corn, or 9 oz canned (I used frozen – I just cooked it first)
4 oz feta cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 tbs whipping cream
2 tbs Parmesan cheese
3 scallions, chopped (I tossed in some dried chives)
8-10 small sheets phyllo pastry
8 tbs melted butter
freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease two muffin pans. (I have one 12-cup pan and one 6-cup pan…worked perfectly. The recipe makes 18-20 purses.)
If using fresh corn, strip the kernels from the cop and simmer in a little salted water for 3-5 minutes, until tender. For canned corn, drain and rinse well under cold running water. (If using frozen, cook according to package instructions and drain, if needed. Mine was a steam-in-bag deal, so no draining required.)
Crumble the feta into a bowl; stir in the corn. Add the egg, cream, Parmesan, scallions, and pepper. Stir well.
This is a “choose your own adventure” recipe. Below is what the cookbook says. Keep reading for the alternate plot twist – what actually happened.
Take one sheet of pastry and cut in half to make a square. (Keep the remaining pastry covered with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out.) Brush with melted butter and then fold in four to make a smaller square (about 3 inches).
Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of each pastry square, then squeeze the pastry around the filling to make a “beggar’s purse.”
Continue making purses until all the filling is used up. Brush the outside of the purse with any remaining butter, put them in the prepared pans, and bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot.
When I unrolled the phyllo, it cracked into numerous pieces. Some were roughly squarish, but I also had some rectangular strips about 2 inches wide. Since phyllo comes 2 rolls to a package, I tried the other. With similar results. So I ended up dabbing (brushing makes the pastry tear) butter on the top sheet of the square section, placing a dollop of filling in the center, and pulling up the edges of several (probably 4 or so) sheets, rolling the ends over the filling until I had a squarish pillow. I then crumpled the edges together…it was vaguely purse-like.
Which left the rectangular strips. I found that if I crumpled a handful into the muffin tin, spooned in some filling, then crumpled some more pastry on top, I got pretty much the same results as the ones I did “correctly.” I liberally dabbed the remaining butter on all of my corn-phyllo piles, then baked as recommended. I probably could have stood to bake them a tad longer, but I was hungry. :)
Using my method, you’ll use the whole box, not 8-10 sheets.
