Cheesy-Basterma Fillo Cups: A Tasty Little Appetizer
5 years ago
I’m a big fan of American-Greek chef, author Diane Kochilas.
I watch her cooking show, ‘My Greek Table’, with great admiration. She’s
talented, witty, and really knows her way around the kitchen!
In one episode, she made an appetizer which included basterma (pasturma to the Greeks), so I paid close attention.
It’s really simple actually, and not too different from the cheese borag bites I posted years ago. I’ve changed her original recipe, which uses Kasseri cheese, just a bit to suit our taste.
Image of Pita Kaisarias in Phyllo Cups from Diane Kochilas’ ‘My Greek Table’
Cheesy-Basterma Fillo Cups
Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
2 – 15 count pkgs. frozen fillo cups, defrosted (Note: sold in the freezer section of most grocery stores)
2 cups grated Colby cheese (Monterey Jack or Muenster cheese may be substituted – or a combination of these to equal 2 cups) Note: Diane’s recipe uses 2 cups of grated Kasseri cheese)
2 or 3 ripe Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
15 thin slices of basterma with most of the spice rub removed, finely chopped (sold in most Middle Eastern stores) Note: If basterma is unavailable, you can substitute Bresaola which is sold in the deli section of most grocery stores.
Salt and pepper, to taste, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place fillo cups on a lightly greased – or parchment-lined- baking sheet. Brush insides of cups with melted butter.
In a mixing bowl, combine the grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, and basterma. Taste mixture to see if you’ll need salt and pepper. If so, add it here.
Place a small spoonful of mixture in each fillo cup. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.