What will you be nibbling with your New Year’s bubbly? I’ve got a stash of these flaky cheese straws just waiting for a cork to pop. Aglaia Kremezi, the Greek food writer who inspired them, says they’ll last a week, but nothing beats warm from the oven. On the inside, finely chopped almonds, grated pecorino or Parmigiano (I used both) and a little red pepper. Kremezi’s cousin dreamed these up, although his version—inspired by baklava—was sweet, with almonds, sugar, cinnamon and lemon peel. Kremezi suggested the cheese variation, which may be my new favorite companion for before-dinner drinks. Whatever you’re imbibing as you ring out the old year and welcome the new, I hope you’ll enjoy a few of these crunchy Greek cheese straws along with it.
Aglaia Kremezi’s Phyllo Cheese Straws
Just baked: Phyllo cheese straws
Kremezi’s recipe calls for almonds, but walnuts or pistachios would be appealing as well. Most storebought phyllo is in 1-pound packages containing two half-pound rolls. You will need only one of those rolls and can keep the other roll frozen.
¼ pound whole skin-on almonds
¾ cup freshly grated pecorino romano, Parmigiano Reggiano or aged myzithra
1 teaspoon Aleppo or Maraş pepper or a few grinds of black pepper
½ pound phyllo, defrosted according to package directions if necessary
Extra virgin olive oil
Sesame seeds
Kosher or sea salt
Position two racks in the oven and preheat to 375°F. Toast the almonds on a baking sheet until fragrant and lightly colored inside, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely, then pulse in a food processor until they are about the size of coarse bulgur. Transfer the almonds to a bowl and stir in the grated cheese and pepper.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Do not remove the phyllo from its wrapper. With a sharp chef’s knife, slice the phyllo roll in half through the wrapper to yield two smaller rolls of equal size. Now remove the outer wrapper. Keep one roll covered with a towel to prevent drying out. Unroll the other piece. You will have a stack of sheets about 12 inches long. Cut the stack in half to yield 2 stacks that are about 6 inches on the long side. Remove the top 2 sheets from one of those stacks and place them, on top of each other, on a work surface with the long side facing you. Keep all remaining dough covered.
Lightly brush the phyllo surface with olive oil. Spoon a generous teaspoon of the almond mixture along the long side, keeping it about a half inch from the edge and the sides. Roll up the phyllo like a cigar, encasing the filling and brushing the dough with olive oil as you go. Sprinkle the top of the “cigar” lightly with sesame seeds. Place it on the baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat with remaining phyllo and filling. You should have enough of both to fill 2 baking sheets with about 20 rolls each. They do not spread much as they bake so you can position them closely. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the trays so the cigars cook evenly. Continue baking until golden, 6 to 7 minutes longer. Set the baking trays on a rack to cool. Serve warm or cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Makes about 40