Mushroom and Goat Cheese Filo Cigars with a Tomato Tapenade
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A super flavorful filo appetizer that can be made ahead of time, perfect for entertaining!
Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Serves: 20-24
Ingredients
  • 6 sheets thinnest Filo pastry, thawed (I used Fillo Factory #4)
  • 10 oz. Cremini mushrooms, chopped into ½" pieces, about 3 cups
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (plus more for brushing on the filo)
  • 2 medium shallots, diced (about ⅓ cup)
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1-2 TBSP. fresh thyme, chopped
  • 4 oz. Goat cheese, crumbled
  • 3 TBSP. Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 TBSP. fresh parsley, minced (optional - for garnish)
  • 2 TBSP. pine nuts (optional - for garnish)
Instructions
  1. Remove the package of filo from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature while you prepare the filling.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375°F . Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  3. Place a large 8" skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the chopped mushrooms and dry-roast them (i.e., pan roast them without any oil or fat) for about 5 minutes, stirring often. After this cooking time, the mushrooms will release all their moisture and visibly reduce in volume.
  4. To the same skillet, add the olive oil and the shallots to the dry-roasted mushrooms. Sauté until everything is coated with the oil and the shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes. Lower the heat and stir in the minced garlic, the salt and pepper and sauté for a couple more minutes until everything is soft and nicely caramelized. Stir in the fresh thyme and remove the skillet from the heat so it can cool down.
  5. Place the mixture into a bowl and crumble the Goat cheese over it. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed and set it aside (the filling can be done ahead of time).
  6. Open the filo package and remove three sheets of filo dough. Cover the rest with a piece of plastic and a kitchen towel, so they do not dry out.
  7. Brush each filo sheet with olive oil and place each one on top of the other, so you have a stack of three sheets of filo. With a sharp knife cut the stack of filo horizontally into thirds (you will have three strips). Then, cut the filo stack vertically into fourths. You will have twelve square pieces of filo stacks in total.
  8. Measure about 1 TBSP. of the filling and spread it evenly on the bottom of each filo square (see photo). Fold the end of the first filo stack that has the filling upwards to enclose the filling and roll it tightly forming a thin cigar. Place the filo cigars seam-side down onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the filo pieces, using about half of the filling.
  9. Brush the tops of the cigars with some more olive oil and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. While the first baking sheet is in the oven, repeat the process with three more filo sheets and the remainder of the filling. Place those on the second baking sheet and bake until golden brown.
  10. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool down a little. Serve still warm with an optional sprinkle of parley and pine nuts.
Notes
To make the optional sun-dried tomato tapenade, place about 1 cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, a couple cloves of garlic, some fresh basil, a couple of green olives, a dash of sea salt and freshly ground pepper, and pulse in a food processor. Add enough extra virgin olive oil and process again until you achieve the consistency of a paste.
Recipe by Marilena's Kitchen at https://marilenaskitchen.com/mushroom-and-goat-cheese-filo-cigars-with-a-tomato-tapenade/