Garlic and cheese betzels (triangles)

32 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
6 Eggs; for filling
1 cup Gruyere cheese; freshly grated
10 Garlic cloves; minced (10 to 12)
24 Sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley; minced
5 Fresh mint leaves; minced
12 Green olives, pitted; minced
Salt and pepper; freshly ground
2 teaspoons Sweet paprika
2 Egg; lightly beaten
8 Sheets phyllo dough; thawed
Vegetable oil; for frying
Lemon wedges; for garnish

Directions

Preparation and Cooking: In a medium saucepan, place 6 of the eggs, add water to cover, and bring to a low boil. Cook the eggs for 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and let cool. Peel, place the eggs a medium bowl, and mash them coarsely with a fork. Mix in the cheese, garlic, parsley, mint, olives, salt, pepper, paprika and 1 lightly beaten egg.

Cover a working surface with damp towel. Carefully unwrap the phyllo and unfold it on the towel. With the long edge of the phyllo facing you, and using a sharp knife, cut vertically through the stacked sheets of dough to make 4 equal sections, each about 4-½ inches wide. Cover with another damp towel if you are not using the phyllo immediately. Place l tablespoon of the filling about l inch from the bottom edge of one strip. Fold over a bottom corner of the strip to cover the filling. Continue folding as you would a flag, to obtain a triangular shape. Beat the remaining egg and use it to seal the top edge. Repeat the process until all the filling has been used. In a heavy, medium saucepan pour oil to a depth of 2 inches and heat it over medium-high heat until it reaches 325 degrees, or a piece of the dough sizzles instantly. Fry the pastries in batches to avoid crowding them, until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes, and drain them well on paper towels. Serve at oncew ith lemon wedges. Makes 32 betzels.

One ounce of cheese yields about ¼ cup when grated or shredded.

[Riverside Press-Enterpise 22 Aug 96; mcRecipe patH] Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #212 Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 09:49:28 -0700 (PDT) From: PatH <phannema@...>

NOTES : Recipes developed for this book are from the Maghreb, the area that includes Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. "Essentially Mediterranean cooking...liberal use of garlic and olive oils." Kitty Morse (c. 1996) Chronicle ($22.95). "Olives have a special role in North African Cooking. The green or purple varies are most often used in dishes like tagines (stews) while black olives are used either as appetizers or to garnish salads." -Kitty

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