Weekend Test Kitchen: Mediterranean Roll-Ups

I returned a little while ago from Briermere Farms in Baiting Hollow, where the most delicious pies on the North Fork come from. There's something about the blended aroma of various fruit pies baking that awakens a hunger you didn't even know you had. I picked up a blueberry cream pie for a family gathering later this evening and hurried home.

My inspiration was not to bake but to make something new as a light lunch/snack. I often try new recipes on the weekend because I have plenty of time to create them and to eat them. The test kitchen recipe this week is one that I culminated from a few other appetizers I've made recently. I call them Mediterranean Roll-Ups.

All you need are the following ingredients:

• Athens Phyllo Dough (find this in your grocer's freezer section)- defrosted
• Feta Cheese- 8 oz. block
• Pitted black olives- 6 oz.chopped
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Chopped Garlic- 1/4 tsp.
• Rosa Maria seasoning blend of Rosemary, garlic, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper
• Butter- 2 tbsps.

A few easy steps:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap Phyllo Dough and separate 3 sheets at a time. This dough is incredibly fussy and flakes easily so handle carefully and be sure that it is completely defrosted or it will crumble. (Note that later on in recipe, brushing on melted butter will help the dough to soften and form.)

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the Feta, chopped olives, chopped garlic, seasoning to taste (go light on this seasoning as it tends to be strong), and pour in Extra Virgin Olive Oil so the ingredients blend together to form a moist mixture instead of crumbles.

Take your flat, 3-sheet dough sections and cut them with a pizza cutter evenly into strips. These will become your roll-ups. Place a teaspoon of cheese filling mixture at the bottom of each strip and roll as if you were wrapping a burrito (folding the sides in as you go). The moisture will help the dough from breaking off.

Spray cookie sheets with non-stick spray and place roll-ups on sheets. Melt the butter to a liquid and brush over each roll-up. This will be the element that browns and crisps the appetizers.

Bake at 375 for approximately 10-15 minutes depending on your oven. Keep an eye on it. When the tops appear brown and crispy, they are done.

Good luck and enjoy!

Signing off for the day...