RECIPE! Corn & Goat Cheese Pockets

POCKETS, PURSES, MONEYBAGS--these delicious little filo dough pouches could be called many different things, but they're also: Simple.

This recipe requires no fancy machines or daunting techniques, just a lot of patience, some table space and a little planning--the filo dough will likely be frozen when you buy it, so you'll need to allow it a day in the fridge to thaw. Then moisten yourself some paper towels and get started:

2 ears of corn
4 oz. goat cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
3 scallions, chopped
Ground black pepper
8-10 small sheets filo pastry
1 cup butter, melted

Boil the corn in salted water until tender. In a large bowl, mix the corn and goat cheese. Add egg, milk (I used soy milk to successful effect), scallions and ground black pepper. Stir it up. Take a large sheet of filo dough and cut (and/or fold) as needed to make a square. Brush with butter and fold the large square into a smaller square--about 4-5 inches wide should be a good size. Drop a small spoonful of the corn mixture in the center of the filo square. Pull up the edges and squeeze around the filling to make a pouch-moneybag-purse-pocket-type pastry. Place on buttered cookie sheet, brush once again with butter, and cover with a damp cloth or towel to await more of its corn-pastry brethren. Bake 'em all at 375-degrees for 15 minutes or until golden.

NOTE: Keep your unused filo sheets covered with a damp cloth or paper towel to avoid them drying out. No one likes a brittle filo sheet. People do, however, enjoy different kinds of cheeses. Goat cheese or feta cheese are certainly two tangy options, but Parmesan or cheddar would be interesting too. That said, corn could be swapped for roasted eggplant or spicy chickpeas, and scallions traded for leeks or shallots. Go nuts, for all I care.

Recipe makes a bunch. Don't worry--you'll eat them all.