These festive days that we have friends and relatives invited for dinner, apart from our main course we can also prepare some side dishes or hors d’oeuvres, called mezedes.

A friend has asked me to post something easy and vegetarian so I made these very easy bourekia with phyllo pastry and  mushrooms.  You can use ready made phyllo sheets like those for baklava or the thicker ones for pies.  Even better, if you have time, you can roll out your own home made phyllo.

Bourekia with mushrooms

Preparation time: 20’

Frying time: 15’

Ingredients:

Phyllo sheets

Olive oil for frying

For the filling:

6 – 7 button mushrooms, finely cut (or 1 can 250 grams)

½ cup of olive oil

1 big onion coarsely chopped

1 cup of parsley, finely chopped

Salt

Pepper

Cinnamon

Directions

Wipe mushrooms with a kitchen paper (do not wash them) and cut them into small pieces.   If you are using the canned mushrooms, first drain and then cut into small pieces. If they are using frozen mushrooms, first thaw and then cut them.

Sauté the onion and add the mushrooms as well and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add parsley and all spices and mix. Set aside to cool down.

Cut the phyllo into 4 -5 centimeters stripes. Take 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling and put it on the lower left hand side of the phyllo. Fold it over to the right to make a triangle. Then fold it over to the left and to the right again until you have folded the entire sheet into a triangle.

Or

Cut the sheet of phyllo into 4 pieces. Take 1 piece and add a heaping teaspoon on the top, centre of the phyllo. Fold the left side towards the centre and then fold the right side to cover.   Roll it into a cylinder.

When you have finished all of them fry in a lot of oil and place on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.

Tags: lenten, made with phyllo, nistisima, Vegetables