Mushroom Phyllo Pie (Pita sa pečurkama)

I like anything made with phyllo dough. Sweet or savory. Maybe because of its crunchiness, or something else... Never tried to make that dough from the scratch, but one day, I promised myself, I will.

This is not like regular mushroom pie, but since it goes with phyllo you have to believe me it must be very good. I found out that some people call this pastry Mushroom Strudel, but in my opinion strudel is something else.

You do not need much stuff, but you should be careful with your choice of phyllo dough since thicker is better, but even thin one will work if you are easy on the filling. Remember to defrost the phyllo in the fridge the night before you work with it.

Check this link out if you want to learn more about how to work with phyllo dough. 

You need:

• 1 package of phyllo dough
• 23 oz (650g) button mushrooms, finally sliced
• 1 large onion, finally chopped
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Salt & black pepper

Steps:

1. Prepare baking pan. I use one with dimensions 10x15 inches (25x38cm), so no need to cut the phyllo. Place baking sheet and spray oil.
2. Preheat the oven to 475F. (240C)
3. Be careful with handling phyllo dough, especially if it is too thin. Cover it with a damp cloth while you work because it keeps the dough from drying out. Since I make four big rolls, lengthwise, I divide whole numbers of phyllo sheets by 4. There are usually 20 phyllo sheets per package, so 5 layers for each roll.
4. Make two fillings.
5. First filling is with mushrooms and onion. Heat the pan, pour a tablespoon of canola oil, saute chopped onion, and add sliced mushrooms. Season the filling with salt and fresh pepper. You shouldn’t cook it more than 7 minutes over high heat. Put it aside to cool down.
6. Second filling goes with beaten eggs, sour cream, canola oil and baking powder. Mix everything together and add salt.
7. When the fillings are done start to fill the phyllo dough. Place phyllo sheets on the counter. If the phyllo dough is thick you can spread the second filling on each sheet, mushroom filling put on the top one. If you work with thin phyllo dough, spread the second filling on every other sheet, and the mushroom filling on the top. Try to reduce the amount of filling. You have to be fast, do not allow the dough to become moist, otherwise you won’t be able to transfer the roll to the baking pan. When you finish with filling, roll up the phyllo lengthwise. If you use silicon pad or parchment paper for rolling, it will make things much easer for you.
8. After you make enough rolls to fill in the baking pan (I make 4 rolls), cut the pie in even squares.  Spread the rest of the second filling over the pie.
9. Bake it for 15 minutes on 475F (240C). And, decrease temperature to 395F (200C) and bake it for additional 15 minutes.
10. When the top is golden brown remove it from the oven and cool it down.

You can have mushroom phyllo pie as a breakfast, or serve it as an appetizer. But, remember, the best way is eating it with ajvar and kefir. Don’t have any doubt about it!

Below is the picture of my dear friend Darlene who made Mushroom Phyllo Pie using my recipe. Looks really nice.