New Foods #7 - Filo Dough

It's sad to say that after over a year in Poland, this will be only the 7th "New Foods" posting I have done.  It's not that my diet has been quite that unimaginative, it's just that I've forgotten to take pictures, or I didn't think it would be terribly interesting.  After all, you've seen candy bars, beans, and fruit juice before, even if they are in different packaging.  And when I have gone out to eat, I almost always seem to forget my camera. 

I've gone to a restaurant called Manikin that serves naleshniki (sort of like a crepe) a bunch of times.  It's probably my favorite place for a good meal that is not too expensive.  But for some reason, I always forget to take my camera.  I really need to, because they make all sorts of options besides the standard naleshniki.  They also make versions that are similar to a burrito, to lasagne, to spaghetti, in addition to the standard crepe-like creation (which can have meat and vegetables, or sweeter fillings).

But I don't eat out much so the opportunities are limited (unless you want to see pictures of the Subway, salads, or Starbuck's I usually get for lunch).  I mostly cook at home, and for simplicities sake, I don't experiment too much.  One thing I have tried a few times recently though is filo dough (like this picture).

I wouldn't be surprised if you can get this stuff in the US, but I don't remember seeing it there.  From what I can tell, it's mostly used here for making torts and something that is quiche-like.  But being me, I had to experiment.

 The first experiment is above.  I took the dough, stuffed the center with some quinoa, beans, banana, cheese, and some spices, and cooked it up like a pie.  It actually turned out pretty good.

The second attempt was above, and I wanted to try something like a calzone.  I put some salami, pepperoni, cheese, and a bit of spaghetti sauce in the middle; wrapped it into a flatter shape, and baked.  It was edible, but I wouldn't recommend it.

I need to think of other options to try with this stuff, so I am open to suggestions.  Anything that sounds interesting (whether breakfast, dinner, or desert-oriented) will be tried and reported on.  So please make your suggestions via email to me, or just in the comments so that others can see what you have suggested.

Warning, posts may slow down for a while as I expect to do a bit of traveling in November into early December.  I'll finally be visiting the US, so I don't expect to update this blog much.

Enjoy!