Moroccan Beef Cigars

Now that summer is over, and I’m no longer getting tomatoes and lettuce from my potager, our menu is changing.

We always have first courses on the weekend. I don’t remember when or why we started that tradition but we’ve been doing it forever.

First courses are fun. They’re small plates so they can be decadent in ways I would never do for a main course.

If the main course is easy (which I like) I can fuss more with the first course. Because it’s small it doesn’t take up too much time.

In summer we have salads of some sort. In winter we do things from the oven.

There is always enough sheets of phyllo in a package that I have to think of 3 or 4 ways to use it. I made these Cigars the week after I made the Turkey Phyllo Pie.

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Moroccan Beef Cigars

These are made with purchased phyllo dough. Make them as spicy as you like.

  • Author: Kate
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
  • Category: First Courses

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 sheets phyllo dough
  • 5oz (150gr) ground beef
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • Tomato Sauce:
  • 1 cup (8oz, 240gr) tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • hot sauce to taste
  • olive oil for filo

Instructions

  • Sauté spices in olive oil for 30 seconds.
  • Add shallots, garlic and sauté until tender.
  • Add beef and brown, breaking it up as it cooks.
  • When done remove from heat and remove any excess fat.
  • Remove 1 sheet of pastry and re-wrap the rest. It’s important to keep filo covered at all times or it will dry out.
  • Lay the sheet out flat and lightly brush all over with olive oil.
  • Cut the sheet in half the long way.
  • Spoon 1/6th of the meat mixture onto the narrow end of each strip, 2 inches from the end and leaving an inch on either side.
  • Roll filo over, fold the sides in and roll up like a cigar.
  • Brush the top and bottom with oil and place on a baking sheet. R
  • Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets and filling, making 6 cigars in all.
  • Bake at 400F (200C) for 15 – 20 minutes, until golden brown.
  • Tomato Sauce:
  • Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer 5 minutes.

Notes

Phyllo can be re-frozen and / or it keeps well for at least a week in the fridge as long as it is tightly wrapped. It dries out quickly.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/2 recipe
  • Calories: 297
  • Sugar: 5.8 g
  • Sodium: 268.7 mg
  • Fat: 12.8 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.8 g
  • Trans Fat: 0.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 27.4 g
  • Fiber: 4.1 g
  • Protein: 20 g
  • Cholesterol: 42.4 mg

Keywords: beef, cigars, spring rolls

Moroccan Beef Cigars

I’ve been walking by myself again for the past 2 weeks. When I walk with other people we usually try to maintain a steady pace.

When I walk by myself I go fast and slow and stop to take photos and then go fast again to make up time.

We can see the roof of this house from our house.

One cannot see our house from here. Maybe from the upper floor of the house…

But, I know where it is.

It’s right at the base of that round bit of woods on the hilltop one sees through the gap.

I’m sure.

This was just a bit of color.

We don’t have the brilliant red and oranges like we did in the Midwestern U.S. We appreciate what we have.

4 thoughts on “Moroccan Beef Cigars”

  1. Lovely pictures! I always like seeing your pictures. In a way, they’re familiar and yet, they’re so different from here.

    We didn’t get good color this year. Too much rain, weird temps. The color tours in northern Michigan bombed…Oh well, next year will probably be glorious. That’s usually how it works here.

    • It’s usually very bland here. Yes, it’s both familiar and different. No red barns but lots of cows. I even see a few corn cribs but, of course, they are a different shape. I try to keep my eyes open and enjoy the differences.
      We had a wet summer and dry autumn – the opposite of normal. Maybe that helped the colors.

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