My favourite way to eat is small portions with a big variety. It’s why I enjoy tapas and dim sum so much. But making a number of little dishes can be a lot of work.

Recently my dear friend Donna retired and a few of her past work friends got together to celebrate with drinks and small bites. The hostesses of the night provided a charcuterie and I was asked to make a couple of Donna’s favourite appetizers. The easiest of which is my Korean pork in phyllo cups. They are ideal for a party where you don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen.

The cups are made ahead of time and can even be frozen. The pork filling is cooked earlier in the day and then microwaved, mixed with a few pre-cut fresh ingredients and spooned into the cups to serve. They are delicious hot, but also nice at room temperature so can be left out for a while. Here’s my recipe. Hope you enjoy. 

Phyllo Cups

frozen phyllo pastry                avocado oil spray

Thaw phyllo dough according to package instructions.  Place a layer of phyllo on work surface, lightly spray with oil. Place second layer on top, lightly spray and top with final layer.  Keep remaining dough covered with a damp towel to prevent drying.  Cut phyllo into 3” x 3” squares. Spray cups of a mini muffin pan. Place a square phyllo into each cup.  

Bake in the center of a 400ºF oven for about 5 minutes or until golden. Let cool on a rack.  

Korean Pork

1 tsp oil                                   1 large clove garlic, diced

1/2 tsp grated ginger               1/2 lb lean ground pork

1/4 cup red pepper, diced       1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp hoi sin sauce                 1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 a carrot, shredded             1 green onion, finely sliced

6 leaves fresh mint, finely chopped

Heat oil over medium high heat. Sauté garlic, diced peppers, fresh ginger and ground pork, cook 8 – 10 minutes. Add soy sauce, hoi sin sauce and sesame oil. Take off heat and mix in shredded carrot, chopped green onion, and chopped mint. While mixture is hot, fill phyllo cups and serve.  Meat can be made ahead of time. The when ready to serve, heat in the microwave, stir in the fresh ingredients and fill cups.   

Kath’s quote: “My heart flutters with anticipation. If this was the appetizer, dinner might darn well kill me!”-Michelle A. Valentine

Love never fails.

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