MEAT CIGARS

Meat Cigars image

Yield makes about 60 cigars

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 1/2 pounds ground beef or lamb
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt
Black pepper or good pinch of ground chili pepper
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1 pound large fillo sheets
2/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil

Steps:

First prepare the filling. Heat the oil in a large skillet, and sauté the onion in the oil until softened. Add the meat, spices, salt, and pepper or chili pepper, and cook, crushing the meat with a fork and turning it over, for 5 to 10 minutes, until it changes color. Then stir in the chopped parsley, cilantro, and the beaten eggs, and cook gently for a moment or two, stirring all the time, until the eggs set to a creamy consistency. Let the filling cool. Taste and add more spices and pepper, if you like.
With large scissors, cut all the sheets of fillo together, without separating them, into 3 strips of about 6 inches × 12 inches, and put the three piles together in one pile so that they do not dry out. Brush the top sheet very lightly with melted butter or oil.
Put a tablespoon of filling in a line along one of the short ends, about 3/4 inch from the three edges. Roll up like a cigar, folding in the long sides at the halfway point so that the filling does not fall out, then continue to roll, letting the sides unfold so that the cigars appear open.
Place the rolls side by side on a greased baking tray, brush the tops with melted butter, and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 30 minutes, or until golden.
Serve them hot. You can make them in advance and warm them up.
variation
Before serving, dust the rolls first with confectioners' sugar and then with cinnamon.
These rolls are very nice deep-fried, so if you want to fry a few for an instant snack, do so in medium-hot vegetable oil, turning them over once, until browned, and drain on paper towels.