When I made the roast lamb leg on the weekend I chose a piece of meat that was larger than I needed to ensure lots of leftovers and after making some quicky roast lamb gyros I was ready to to something more interesting. Up first on my list was this recipe for a lamb exohiko , once again from Kalofagas , which is a dish where the lamb along with other ingredients are wrapped up in phyllo and baked until it is golden brown. I really like the idea of baking things in phyllo like this! Whereas smaller phyllo pies are great for snacks and light meals and larger phyllo pies like spanakopita make many servings, these phyllo parcels contain an entire meal in single serving size! The possibilities for fillings for these are near endless and this time I went with the roast lamb, spinach, onions and peppers, tomatoes and cheese!
With the phyllo dough and the spinach in the filling I could not help but think about spanakopita so I mixed some more ingredients from spanakopita filling into the spinach including; feta, dill and green onions. The lamb was of course already cooked and just needed to be warmed up and I sauteed the onions and peppers a bit to ensure that they would be tender even with the short bake time. These phyllo parcels also include a nice big, 1/4 inch thick, slab of cheese which is placed on top of filling ingredients and melts down into everything else in the parcel when it bakes. Any melty cheese would work in these parcels but it seemed only fitting to go with a Greek cheese so I went with a graviera , but a good substitute would be a gruyere.
You just can’t go wrong with parcels of light, buttery, flaky phyllo wrapped around tender lamb, spanakopita filling like spinach and other vegetables all swimming in plenty of melted cheese! I served the lamb exohiko with a salad to complete the meal.
Lamb Exohiko (Lamb, Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Phyllo Parcels)
Buttery, light and flaky phyllo dough parcels of tender slow roasted lamb, spinach, onions, peppers, tomato and two kinds of cheese!
ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons feta, crumbled
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon dill, chopped
- pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 green pepper, thinly sliced
- 8 sheets phyllo dough
- 1/4 cup melted butter or olive oil
- 1/2 pound cooked lamb
- 4 (1/4 inch) slices ripe tomato
- 4 (1/4 inch) slices graviera or gruyere
directions
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the spinach and garlic and cook until the spinach is wilted and most of the liquid has cooked off, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, mix in the feta, green onions and dill, season with pepper and set aside.
- Return the pan to the heat, add the oil, onions and green pepper and saute until just tender, about 3-5 minutes and set aside.
- Brush a sheet of phyllo dough with butter followed by a second sheet and more butter. Place 1/4 of each of the lamb, spinach, onions and peppers, tomato and cheese onto the phyllo dough, fold the dough up wrapping to cover and brush the top with more butter. Repeat three more times.
- Place the parcels on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until lightly golden brown on top, about 20-25 minutes.
Chicken and Date Pastilla
Mushroom and Feta Phyllo Pie
Asparagus and Walnut Phyllo Pie (aka Asparagus Baklava) with Avgolemono Sauce
Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)
Dolmades (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)
Mushroom and Feta Phyllo Pie
Kolokithopita (Greek Zucchini Pie)
Agginaropita (Greek Artichoke Pie)
Mushroom and Goat Cheese Strudel with Balsamic Syrup
Tomato Tart
Baklava
Apple and Cheddar Quiche
Galaktoboureko (Greek Custard Pie)
Chicken and Date Pastilla
Asparagus and Walnut Phyllo Pie (aka Asparagus Baklava) with Avgolemono Sauce
Roasted Pumpkin Quiche with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola and Sage
Strawberry Goat Cheese Banitsa
Fiddlehead and Gruyere Tart
Yeah for lamb leftovers. This sounds amazing and very similar to a dish we used to have at a Mediterranean restaurant. The dill and feta in here are a great combo with the lamb.
Phyllo is SO delicious!
Lovely parcels! A wonderful combination.
Cheers,
Rosa
Kevin this looks delicious, I can't wait to give it a try.
Paul
I love the things that you create with leftovers. This looks absolutely incredible – especially with all that flaky crustiness!
I love it when I can turn my meals into a personal package and the filling in these sounds delicious! Definitely the perfect use for the leftover lamb.
Kevin!
OH MY!
I love spanokopita, and I love lamb.
What's not to love about this!
I have a lamb roast in the freezer to use for your "Greek Style Roast Lamb."
What better way to use the leftovers.
I should also get enough for the tagine as well.
We are small eaters, and the roast is rather large.
Thanks for sharing!
Charlie
That looks delectable!
Oh mannnn this looks awesome. Totally making it!
Can't wait to try this. Is the ebook ready to be sent as yet? Looking forward to that as well.
Nice idea for lamb. It looks delicious. I will try it in the coming weeks. The idea itself is great. Thank you and a happy cooking. 😉
I had Greek for lunch…
yum!
Zen Fire: If you mean my first eBook, then you can get it by subscribing to my email newsletter. If you did and have you have not received it, please send me an email: kevin@closetcooking.com If you mean my second eBook, I am still working on the recipes, but it is coming! 🙂
All your sandwiches look divine, and I love the new look of your blog!