Globecooking recipe : Tiropita (Greece) #readcookeat

As you'll know if you're a regular reader of my blog, there are two cooking challenges that I love to take part in : discovering new international recipes in my globecooking section, and being inspired to cook recipes from the books I read for the #readcookeat challenge. Well, this recipe for tiropita - little filo-pastry cheese parcels - lets me kill two birds with one stone !

I came across a mention for tiropita in Prodigal, a book by Charles Lambert that I read and reviewed back in October. (Click through to read my review.) It follows the rather complicated life of Jeremy, who is a gay, soft porn writer, trying to reconnect with his sister at his father's deathbed. He looks back over his life, including a trip to Greece when his mother died some thirty years previously, when they catch up with his mother's new man.

p208 At the most, it's a matter of days, he explains to them this first afternoon, as they stand together in the hospital car park. They have left her sleeping, eaten tiropita bought in a local bakery, drunk soda water from small glass bottles.

From looking around online, there are numerous variations of cheesy mixtures that can be used to stuff tiropita, so I just went with what was in the fridge. Feel free to mix things up though - the only obligatory ingredients are filo pastry and cheese.

Tiropita

180g feta

80g parmesan

80g ricotta

1 egg

1 pack filo pastry (9 sheets)

milk or melted butter

First of all, I had a good look through for the fridge for different cheeses and found some parmesan (grated and chunks), some ricotta, some feta and some mozzarella. I decided to use the first three.

  

Put the feta in a bowl and use a fork to break it up into small pieces.

Mix in some grated parmesan and some ricotta.

And finally beat in an egg.

For pretty little regular triangles, you'll need rectangular filo pastry but mine was round - oh well, never mind ! Lay three sheets on top of each other, brushing them with milk or melted butter. Cut the pastry into two halves.

Time to start folding it all up. Place a heaped spoonful of cheese mixture on one end.

Fold one corner across to make a triangle.

If using rectangular sheets of pastry, you'll be able to flip the triangles back and forth very neatly. If using round sheets, well, just do the best you can !

Try to keep all the corners tucked underneath if you can. 

Lay them out on a baking tray and brush with some milk.

Bake at 180° for about 15 minutes until they are lovely and golden. Careful - the cheese filling stays very hot for quite a while !

Joining up with #readcookeat over at Chez Maximka.

*** Don't miss my globecooking recipe index ! ***

Fancy trying some more Greek cuisine? How about some of the following :

Bastichio
Dolmades (stuffed vine leaves)

Fig & Walnut Bake

Greek Lamb & Feta Burgers with Red Onion, Cucumber & Olives

Greek Pasta Bake
Greek Salad

Greek-style Lamb, Potato & Thyme Kleftiko
Greek yogurt mousse with olive oil and strawberries

Mediterranean-stuffed Ciabatta

Mediterranean Veg Filo Flowers
Mushrooms à la grecque

Prawn Saganaki
Red Mullet with Olive Cream and Asparagus

roundup of Greek cuisine

Spanakopita

Tart with Tomatoes, Olives & Capers

Youvetsi