| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 5 min |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 5 min |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- Parchment paper
- 1 cup ricotta, drained
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
- 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, small dice
- A handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley, a couple of tablespoons
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Few grinds black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, about 10 slices
- 6 sheets phyllo dough, from frozen foods aisle of your market
- 1/2 stick melted butter
- Black olives, for eyes
- Red and green bell peppers, to cut into Egyptian shapes to decorate the mummy
- 1 jar, 16 to 18 ounces, roasted red peppers, drained
- 6 basil leaves
- 1 small clove garlic
- 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place parchment paper on baking sheet.
- Mix together cheeses, parsley, egg yolk, garlic, pepper and Essence.
- Lay out the prosciutto on a flat surface so it overlaps slightly. It should create a surface that is about 12 to 13 inches long.
- Place the cheese mixture in the center of the prosciutto and roughly shape into a mummy form.
- Wrap the prosciutto around the cheese mixture sealing it in completely and reshape the mixture to look like a mummy with a rounded head and the body tapering at the bottom.
- Place a sheet of phyllo on a work surface, brush with melted butter, repeat with 2 more sheets, placing them on top of one another. Do not brush top sheet with butter.
- Lay the prosciutto wrapped cheese in the center of the phyllo and wrap the phyllo around the “mummy”.
- Butter the outside of the phyllo and then reshape into the mummy shape.
- Place 1 of the remaining sheets of phyllo on the parchment lined baking sheet, brush with melted butter, repeat with the remaining 2 sheets, placing them on top of one another.
- Carefully slice the phyllo into 1/2-inch wide strips horizontally. Lay the wrapped mummy in the center of the sliced strips and wrap the sliced pieces around the mummy so it looks like bandages. Gently brush the top with butter.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside.
- When the mummy is just a few minutes from coming out of the oven, place drained roasted red peppers, basil leaves, and garlic in the food processor and pulse grind into a pepper puree. Transfer to a small serving bowl.
- Decorate the mummy with black olives and pepper shapes and transfer him to his “coffin” with 2 wide, long, offset spatulas.
- Serve with red pepper puree.
- Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 409 |
| Total Fat | 25 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14 g |
| Carbohydrates | 20 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 27 g |
| Cholesterol | 104 mg |
| Sodium | 1300 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 409 |
| Total Fat | 25 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14 g |
| Carbohydrates | 20 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 27 g |
| Cholesterol | 104 mg |
| Sodium | 1300 mg |
Reviews
The great thing about this recipe is, though, no matter how sloppy a job you do, it still comes out cute, flaky and delicious. (Here’s a pic of a recent attempt: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2482/4047382240_c11f18511e.jpg)
Also, the flavors are really great together! Most importantly, don’t focus so much on your mummy that you forget your roasted red pepper dipping sauce, because it is delicious and totally makes the recipe, bringing all the flavors together. I’m keeping all the leftover sauce to spread on sandwiches for the next week.
1) Since we don?t like prosciutto, I used as a base for the mummy a thin slab of Italian sausage patty, lightly browned. I had to use a couple of pieces, which I laid on parchment paper on my work surface.
2) For the Essence, instead of making enough to store, I used shakes from the spice bottles to approximate the required ratios. I went light on the cayenne pepper.
3) I didn?t quite understand the described shape of the mummy. The cheese mixture is very moldable so I fashioned legs, a head, and arms that stick out as if he?s getting ready to rise from the coffin. I cut the sausage base to fit the mummy shape. I covered the shape with more sausage but that may not be necessary.
4) Phyllo is very forgiving in this recipe. If the sheets break, don?t sweat it. The final step of “bandages” covers up any mistakes. The arms stayed up after baking!
5) Instead of brushing on soppy butter, try butter-flavored cooking spray.
6) I moved my work-surface parchment paper with the “sculpture” on top to the baking sheet. No worries re falling apart!
7) Because the final result looked like a bandaged mummy, I didn’t feel badly about forgetting to put olives for eyes and peppers for hieroglyphics.
8) I made this at 11 am and warmed it later in the oven. My sister warned me not to microwave it.