You’ve probably heard of the financial and social geffuffle that Greece is in right now. I visited Athens five years back. Maybe you’ve read my travel diary? If not, here it is. You’ll need to scroll down until you get to “A Trip to Greece, January 2007
“.
Here’s an excerpt: Tiropitakia, little cheese pies, come in many shapes and sizes here in Greece.
You’ve probably heard of the financial and social geffuffle that Greece is in right now. I visited Athens five years back. Maybe you’ve read my travel diary? If not, here it is. You’ll need to scroll down until you get to “A Trip to Greece, January 2007
“.
Here’s an excerpt: Tiropitakia, little cheese pies, come in many shapes and sizes here in Greece. Little diamonds, squares, cigar-shaped, folded triangles, large family-sized trays, spiral rolls – you name it.
I espied these more familiar triangle-shaped tiropitakia in my wanderings near the Acropolis.
Here’s my recipe, from ‘Quick Vegetarian Dishes’.
Cheesy Filo Parcels
Feta cheese is a white, dry crumbly cheese that can be made either from cows, ewes or goats milk. It is matured in brine to give it a sharp acidic and salty taste. These small triangles of crisp filo pastry with a savoury soft centre contain a mix of feta and haloumi cheese. Theyre ideal for dinner parties as a pre-meal nibbler. Makes 16.
125g (4½ ounces) feta cheese,
125g (4½ ounces) haloumi cheese,
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, or mint,
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper,
1 tablespoon caraway seeds, dry-roasted and coarsely ground,
12 sheets filo pastry,
¼ cup olive oil or melted butter.
Preheat the oven to 200° C / 400° F.
Grate the feta and haloumi cheese into a bowl and mix in the thyme or mint, the pepper and the roasted caraway seeds.
Cut the stack of filo sheets lengthwise into 3 even strips with a sharp knife. This will give you 36 strips of pastry.
Brush one strip with smears of butter or oil and place a second strip on top. At the base of this, spoon on a small tablespoon of the cheese mixture.
Fold the bottom edge of the pastry up to form a triangle over the filling. Continue to flip the triangle over and over, working up the pastry strip until it is all used up, forming a little triangular parcel.
Repeat this procedure until all the pastry and cheese is used. Place the parcels on a baking sheet and brush with the remaining butter or oil.
Bake in the hot oven for about 15 minutes, or until the parcels are crisp and golden.
Serve warm or at room temperature.