Photo: Greg DuPree
Kristin Kishis elevating pizza rolls.
Her pepperoni phyllo rolls “taste like a mix between that perfectly crisped pasta at the edge of a lasagna and a bite of thin-crust pizza,” says the the formerTop Chefwinner and host of National Geographic’s new food-travel seriesRestaurants at the End of the World.
Like with regular pizza, Kish encourages home chefs to move beyond the recipe and experiment with their favorite toppings like “caramelized onions, roasted and mashed squash and sage and rendered pancetta.”
“The entire dish requires very little prep, leaving room for creativity with your fillings. Just mix, fill, fold and bake!” she adds.
When it comes to this recipe, the more butter, the better. “Be generous with the melted butter when assembling,” says Kish. “The butter helps make the phyllo more pliable and prevents tears and cracks during rolling.”
Kelly Sullivan/Getty
Kristen Kish’s Pepperoni Pizza Phyllo Rolls
½ cup melted clarified butter (ghee), divided
1½ oz. Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1½ cups), divided
1 lb. whole-milk ricotta, well-drained
4 oz. finely chopped pepperoni
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. fine sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. chopped fresh thyme
⅛ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
14 frozen phyllo pastry sheets (from 1 [1-lb.] pkg.), thawed
Marinara sauce, for serving
1.Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with some of the melted butter; sprinkle½cup of the Parmesan evenly in bottom of skillet. Stir together ricotta, pepperoni, egg, parsley, oregano, salt, garlic powder, thyme, pepper and remaining 1 cup Parmesan in a large bowl.
2.Lay phyllo sheets flat on a clean work surface, and cover with a damp paper towel (to prevent drying out and tearing). Take 1 phyllo sheet from under paper towel, and brush gently with some of the melted butter. Top with another sheet of phyllo; brush with butter. Dollop about⅓cup of the ricotta mixture on phyllo, and gently spread, leaving a 1-inch border around edges. Starting at 1 long side, gently roll phyllo up from the bottom, brushing with more butter if phyllo is too dry. Curl one end in, and continue curling all the way into a snail circle shape. Gently tuck the final end under the roll to keep its shape. Patch any cracks with scrap phyllo.
3.Gently transfer phyllo coil to prepared skillet. Repeat with remaining phyllo, butter and ricotta mixture, nestling each coil against the one next to it (there will be 6 around the outside of skillet and 1 in center). Press down gently to secure in skillet. If top of phyllo looks dry, brush with more butter.
4.Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately sprinkle with sea salt; cool 10 minutes to set Parmesan in bottom of skillet. Carefully remove phyllo coils from skillet; serve warm with marinara sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.
Serves:7Active time:35 minutesTotal time:1 hour, 15 minutes
source: people.com
