Some people call me shallow. Others call me flaky.

But those closest to me would tell you that, for me, it's what's inside that counts.

Especially when I get between the sheets!

Filo sheets, that is!

Shallow?

Never.

Flaky?

Guilty as charged!

You say fill-oh, I say feel-oh. You spell it phyllo, I spell it filo...

This ancient delight is the flirtiest of pastries.

Surely Aphrodite was in the kitchen the day filo was invented.

Think of it; so often used for gorgeous little morsels like spanakopita and tiropitas. Single, delightful mouthfuls to feed a lover...

Leaving crumbs and flakes upon the lips...

...the perfect excuse to lean forward, brush the lips...

is it a pastry or Eros' accomplice?

Like most matters in love; the magic happens between the sheets!

Don't stop at brushing a little butter between each sheet of pastry, try sneaking a few little flavour favours in there.

Each of these recipes finds me sneaking a few goodies into the filo; filling it up with flavour but keeping it the ultimate flaky bake!

At a complete loss as to what to call this cheeky little canape, I went through all the possible titles; is it a crispbread? (sounds too dietary), is it a cracker? (that implies that it needs a topping), is it a flatbread? (it's too flaky)...

So I decided that it was a topless tart.

Greek in flavour and appearance. And quite lovely.

So who else could I name it after, except the Greek goddess of Love? Aphrodite; mighty and topless!

Each layer has a different flavour sprinkled over it: chopped Kalamata olives, crumbled feta, fresh herbs and lemon zest...

...then the whole slab is baked to golden, crispy perfection.

Sliced into diamonds.

Served with fried olives, tapenade, tzatziki...

...and downed with plenty of Retsina!

Bacchus would be proud of this one: try layering delicate sheets of filo with a mix of pesto and butter.

Then stuff the layers, one flavour at a time...

Pistachio studded, razor thin slices of mortadella...

(more pesto daubed filo)

Super sharp provolone...

(more filo)

And the middle hides a treasure trove of bocconcini, roasted red pepper strips and tomato paste.

All folded over into a parcel,

Basted in butter...

Sprinkled with parmesan...

And baked to crispy, salty, cheesy excess!

Why not try a little D.I.Y caprese salad by tumbling some sweet cherry tomatoes, baby basil leaves and more bocconcini. Maybe some olives and a drizzle of really fabulous olive oil.

Put it all on a platter and uncork a bottle of something you've been saving.

These little devils are worth it!

Either Aphrodite or Bacchus would approve of these olives as a sidekick:

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil and 3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary in a skillet. As the oil heats, it will tease and cajole the flavour out of the rosemary leaves.

Now add about 1 cup of olives: green or black, or all mixed up. I rather like using oil cured olives (and I pit them first).

The heat should be fairly low. The rosemary oil will sneak into the olives.

Add a few strips of orange and / or lemon zest.

Pour it all in a bowl and serve alongside your favourite flaky appetizers.

This recipe has been on the website from the very beginning.

I resurrected it a few weeks ago for a tv spot that I was taping.

That's how this whole filo obsession rekindled itself.

I'm not sure how the tv producers liked me describing fish sauce as the 'wonderbra' of Thai cuisine, but it does take the subtle flavour of the prawns and push it up and out there...

Try sprinkling a fragrant mix of coconut, kaffir lime and peanuts between the layers of filo.

These are really a taste sensation!

Yes, there is one ingredient that will find me eschewing my precious sticks of butter and that is bacon fat.

I had been making batch after batch of the filo wrapped prawns to practice the 'filo fold' for the tv shoot; it was like an edible origami: one prawn came out of the oven looking like a swan, another like a kite...

I was at a friend's house; I'd been there since breakfast.

There was a skillet of bacon fat still on the stove. (I'm not going to say who it is now, because it sounds so slovenly to say, 'there was still a skillet full of bacon fat on the stove...', and that is not the case at all!)

Anyway, I used bacon fat between the layers of filo instead of butter. I also chopped up about 8 slices of prosciutto and mixed it with some dried oregano, basil and garlic salt. Sprinkled this mix on top of the bacon fat. Stacked up about 3-4 sheets of filo. Cut the sheet into 4 rectangles and used these to wrap the chicken tenders. I repeated this until I had about a dozen or so. Threw some grated parmesan over them and baked them in a hot oven (425f) for 15- 20 minutes.

These were sublime.

Not just good. S-U-B-L-I-M-E!

We were all moaning so loud at the dining room table that the neighbour got up to draw his blinds!

Next cab off the rank: a middle eastern dip which sounds like an ABBA song.

Then my first two-parter (just like the Brady Bunch in Hawaii); Seamus Lopez falls in love and goes to Ikea!

But first, I need to go to the bar. I'm in Dallas and it's been a long day...

And let the love flow!

cheers, Mannix

mannix@thelovebite.com