These small cheese pies can be eaten any time as a snack, or as a light lunch with a green salad. In Greece they always make an appearance at parties and social gatherings. Try them and you will be hooked. The recipe is very easy, although it takes a little time to fold the dough to make the triangles. However, they are worth the trouble. They can also be prepared in advanced, open frozen, and then stored in bags. This way, they are ready for you to pop in the oven and serve them at the drop of a hat.
Ingredients 1 packet phyllo dough 400 grams feta cheese 2 eggs lightly beaten (keep two tablespoonfuls of the beaten eggs) A little pepper ½ teaspoon dried mint if liked 2 – 3 tablespoonfuls parsley chopped if liked Oil for the dough
Directions
Place the feta cheese in a bowl and roughly mash it with a fork. There should be small lumps of cheese. Beat lightly the eggs and add them. Add a little pepper, the mint or the parsley (or both) if you like, and mix thoroughly. Feta cheese is usually quite salty, so you shouldn’t need extra salt.
Take the dough out of the box and lay it on your work surface. Take three sheets to start working with. Fold the rest of the dough and place a kitchen towel that you have wet and wrung out well on top of the dough. That will prevent it from drying out.
Place three sheets in front of you and cut the dough in strips with a sharp knife, about 4 fingers wide. Place the strips on top of each other. Oil very lightly the first strip of dough. Place a teaspoonful of the filling on the top of the strip of pastry. Now take the corner and fold it over the filling to the other edge of the strip. If you wish, or if the phyllo is very thin you can take two strips at the same time. In that case, you will need less cheese for the filling.
Now take the tip of the triangle that has formed and bring it over to the other edge of the strip. Repeat the procedure until you reach the end of the strip of the dough. Place the little cheese pie in a very lightly oiled baking pan. Proceed with the rest of the dough. When you finish the first strips, repeat the procedure with another three sheets of the dough.
Add two tablespoonfuls water to the beaten egg that you have kept, and brush the tops of the cheese pies. Bake them in a preheated oven at 180oC for about 10 – 15 minutes until they are nicely browned. Watch them closely, because the phyllo dough burns easily. When the top is browned, you can flip them over, so that the bottom is browned as well. The phyllo is sinfully crisp and the centre deliciously soft!
Enjoy!