It's a wrap

If you come to my house for dinner and you're a vegetarian, it's 10 to 1 I will feed you pasta or eggplant.

Why eggplant?
-it's cheap
-you can roll anything savory in eggplant and it looks and tastes great.

Just slice 1/4 slices of eggplant and roast them in the oven 5-10 minutes or until pliable.

Then put whatever you have kicking around inside.

These have:
mushrooms
spinach
eggplant scraps
brown rice
green olives.

Saute the innards if they're mushy. I consider it essential to include either olives or cheese- gives it a nice saltyness.

You can then bake these, serve at room temp as hors d'oeuvres. They can be kept warm for hours and still taste great as long as they don't dry out. (so cover or add more sauce)

What to do with Phyllo Dough

After a month without a camera charger, and therefore without pictures to make a blog from here is my triumphant return. And nothing says triumphant like a mini muffin pan.

Mac and Cheese Phyllo cups.

Phyllo dough, defrosted.
butter for brushing on phyllo dough
lots of cheese (say a cup grated at least)
chicken stock or milk
flour
lots of butter

First- make phyllo cups (or you can buy them! so much easier!)

1. get out a few sheets of phyllo stacked up. (Leave the rest covered or it will dry out very quickly! )
2. Cut squares of dough just larger than a mini muffin pan cup. brush square on both sides with butter and press into pan.
3. Bake at 350 for five minutes or until golden brown.

Then- make mac and cheese

1. Cook Macaroni til al dente (don't worry if you overcook it, you want mushy macaroni in the end anyway)
2. Make cheese sauce
-mix equal parts of butter and flour (about one tablespoons each for each cup of sauce you make) and cook until it smells nutty and is golden brown, at least five minutes.
-Add chicken stock or milk gradually, stirring constantly with a whisk to break up lumps. Stop when sauce is the consistency you want, about that of a thick chowder
-bring sauce to a boil.
-Add grated cheese, still stirring.

3. Pour sauce over macaroni- you want the macaroni to be completely covered. set aside to cool.
You can add something for color; I added red bell pepper diced fine.

Then put 'em together:

4. Scoop macaroni into phyllo cups.
5. Bake at 350 until macaroni is warm.

Feeling decadent? melt some cheese on top.

Serve warm.