Greek Cheese Pastries Tiropites Food

TIROPITA (GREEK CHEESE PASTRIES)

Steps:

• Lightly beat the egg and add the cheeses. Mix them together well and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350F/175C and line a large baking sheet with silicone mat or parchment.
• Melt the butter and get your pastry ready, keeping unused sheets covered with it's wrapping or under a damp cloth.
• Lay a sheet of pastry on a dry surface, brush lightly with butter and top with another sheet of pastry. Brush this sheet with butter and top with a third sheet of pastry.
• Cut the pastry in to 6 strips, around 2 1/2in (6cm) wide (so their length is the short width of the filo sheet).
• Put a tablespoon of the cheese mixture at one end of each strip, fold over a corner in a triangle then continue folding over the triangle to use up all the pastry. Seal the end with more butter.
• Transfer each triangle to a lined baking sheet, folded edge down, and brush with more butter.
• Repeat with the rest of the pastry strips, then with more sheets to use all the cheese mixture.
• Bake the pastries for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

TIROPITA: A GREEK-STYLE FETA CHEESE APPETIZER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C)
• Mix the cheese and eggs together in a bowl until well-combined.
• Decide what size appetizer you would like and cut the puff pastry into equal sized pieces (use the phyllo as directed on the package). Place a spoonful of filling onto the pastry, and wet the edges.
• Fold the pastry over and seal with the tines of a fork.
• Place onto lined baking sheet and brush with some slightly beaten egg white.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

GREEK FETA CHEESE TRIANGLES RECIPE (TIROPITAKIA)

Steps:

• For the beginners at working with phyllo, check the handling tips before starting.
• To prepare the tiropitakia, start by preparing the filling. Crush the feta cheese into a large bowl and add the grated cheese, the egg, a splash of milk, the yoghurt and season with freshly ground pepper. Mix well with a spoon to combine the ingredients. (At this point you can add some chopped fresh herbs if you like; some fresh dill or mint will surely lift the flavour).
• Preheat the oven at 180C and start preparing the tiropitakia.
• Spread one sheet of the phyllo dough on the kitchen counter and with a cooking brush drizzle with some melted butter or olive oil. Spread one more sheet on top and drizzle with some more butter.
• Cut the sheets into three or four lanes (depending on if you like the tiropitakia to be small or larger). At the end of each lane add one tablespoon of the filling. Fold one corner to form a triangle and continue folding the triangle upon itself, until the entire piece of phyllo is used. Continue with the rest phyllo sheets and filling.
• Oil the bottom of a large baking tray, place the tiropitakia and brush them with some melted butter on top. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for 25-30 minutes, until golden and crispy.
• Serve this delicious Greek feta cheese triangles as a great starter with some Greek salad aside.

TRADITIONAL TIROPITA RECIPE (GREEK CHEESE PIE WITH FETA)

Steps:

• If you choose to prepare this Greek tiropita recipe with commercial phyllo dough, it is important to thaw completely the phyllo dough by putting it in the fridge from the previous day. For the beginners at working with phyllo, check the handling tips before starting.
• Prepare the filling for the tiropita. This traditional tiropita recipe, calls for three different kind of cheese for extra flavour! Use a fork to crumble the feta cheese into a large bowl and add the beaten eggs along with the rest of the grated cheese and heavy cream. Chop some fresh mint and add to the mixture. Season with freshly ground pepper and blend well with a spoon. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
• For this tiropita recipe you will need a large baking tray, approx. 20*30 cm. Using a pastry brush, butter the bottom and sides of the tray. Place one sheet of phyllo at the bottom of the pan and with a cooking brush sprinkle some olive oil or melted butter. Repeat the procedure, adding 4-5 more sheets of phyllo dough. You will use 5-6 phyllo sheets for the bottom of the tiropita.
• Pour in the feta cheese mixture and smooth with a spatula. With a knife trim some of the excessive phyllo, and fold the excess phyllo sheets flaps over the mixture. Top the tiropita with 4-5 more phyllo sheets, making sure to oil or butter each one, before adding the other; roll in the edges. Brush the top with oil or butter, sprinkle with water and sesame seeds. If using commercial phyllo dough to make this tiropita recipe make sure to scar the top with a sharp knife, to help release the steam.
• Bake the tiropita in a preheated oven at 180C for 45-50 minutes, until the phyllo is crisp and golden. Let it cool down for a while before serving. Enjoy!

TIROPITA (GREEK SAVOURY CHEESE PIE)

Steps:

• Thaw phyllo dough completely.
• Melt the 6 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan.
• Whisk in the flour and cook slightly (1-2 minutes) to get rid of 'raw' flour taste.
• Slowly whisk in the milk.
• Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens.
• Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
• Quickly whisk the eggs into the sauce one at a time.
• Then stir in the cheese.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Butter a 13 X 9" Pyrex baking dish generously (you can also use a larger baking pan - the tiropita just comes out a little thinner, but is nicer for appetizer servings).
• Flatten phyllo dough and cover with a sheet of wax paper and a lightly dampened towel (to avoid drying out).
• Take one sheet at a time and place in baking dish.
• Brush phyllo generously with butter.
• Use about 6 sheets this way and then add 1/2 of cheese filling.
• Layer 3 more sheets of phyllo (brushing each one with butter) and then top with remaining cheese filling.
• Finally, layer 6 sheets of phyllo over top (brushing each one with butter) and fold in the edges to make the tiropita look neat.
• Brush top generously with remaining butter.
• Score top of phyllo carefully with the point of a sharp knife, just cutting through pastry (only cut through the top layers of pastry, do not cut all the way down to the bottom layer), into the size of pieces you will want to serve.
• Make sure you don't cut right through pie.
• Bake for about 45 minutes to one hour, or until golden brown.
• (Make sure bottom crust is nice and golden- if it isn't- put it directly on floor of oven for about 10 minutes to brown faster. You don't want a soggy, uncooked bottom pastry).
• Variation: I often add 8 oz. of a good-quality, chopped, smoked ham to the cheese filling.

TIROPITA

Steps:

• Melt 6 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Gradually pour in the milk, stirring constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon. Add the salt and nutmeg, stirring occasionally, until mixture is bubbly and thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mash the feta cheese with a fork in a bowl and stir in the grated kefalotiri, beaten eggs, and parsley. Pour in the hot white sauce and mix well.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Line the buttered baking dish with a sheet of phyllo dough and brush it with melted butter; keep the remaining phyllo sheets covered with plastic wrap while you work. Repeat with half of the phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet with butter, and letting them come up the sides of the baking dish. Pour in the cheese filling.
• Lay the remaining pastry sheets on top of the filling, brushing each with butter. Brush the top of the last sheet with butter and, with a sharp knife, score the top sheets into strips about 3 inches wide from one end of the baking dish to the other.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the pastry is golden brown and crisp, about 45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then cut into squares and serve hot.

TIROPETES

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the hot milk so that no lumps form. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens enough to coat a metal spoon. Season with salt and white pepper, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• When the sauce is cooled, stir in the feta cheese, egg yolks, Monterey jack cheese, 3 tablespoons melted butter and parsley.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Cut the sheets of phyllo dough into strips about 3 inches wide. Use one stack at a time, covering the rest with a damp towel to keep them from drying out.
• Lay out one piece of phyllo at a time. Brush with butter, and place about 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture on one end. Fold one corner up to match the other edge. Continue folding in triangle shape until you reach the end of the strip. Place on a baking sheet, and continue with the remaining strips of dough.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. These can also be prepared ahead of time, and frozen after folding. Bake when ready to serve.

GREEK CHEESE PASTRIES (TIROPITES)

Steps:

• Mix together the cheeses, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cut the phyllo sheets crosswise into 3 rectangles. Place a rectangle on a work surface and gently brush with melted butter. Place 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the cheese mixture in one corner.
• Fold the rectangles in half lengthwise to cover the cheese mixture.
• Fold the corner with the cheese mixture diagonally to make a point, and continue folding and rolling the triangle until the entire piece of dough is wrapped around the filling.
• Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (The tiropites may be frozen at this point and baked directly from the.
• freezer.).
• Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and brush with melted butter.
• Bake in a preheated 425F oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.