Cheesy-Basterma Fillo Cups: A Tasty Little Appetizer

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.



Cool slightly; serve.

Recent Posts

Easter Menu Planning? Look no further!

  I don’t know about you, but in our family, we’re all about tradition when…

7 months ago

St. Sarkis Day and 3 celebratory recipes

It’s that time of year again! St. Sarkis Day, the moveable feast day on the…

9 months ago

A Traditional Recipe for Armenian Christmas Eve – Nevik

Way back in 2010 Ara Kassabian shared his family’s recipe for Nevik with The Armenian…

9 months ago

Thanksgiving Recipes Revisited

With Thanksgiving Day just hours away, I thought I’d share a few of our favorite,…

11 months ago

George Mardikian’s Chicken Tchakhokhbelli recipe, dish favored by Georgian princes.

My family and I had the distinct honor of meeting George Mardikian at his restaurant,…

1 year ago

Antonio Tahhan and his recipe for Kbeibat, Middle Eastern dumplings

My first encounter with Antonio (Tony) Tahhan, the Syrian-American food writer, researcher, and storyteller, spans…

1 year ago

This website uses cookies. find out more.