Another culinary masterpiece from Greece is the seemingly simple cheese turnover called the ‘Tiropites’. Although something similar is made in other parts of the world, what makes it uniquely Greek is the use of Filo (Phyllo, Filo or Fillo) dough. To me Filo dough is one of Greece’s wonderful and unique cultural contributions to the culinary world. I have always enjoyed this very yummy appetizer.
My daughters on returning to Greece had a number of requests and this was one of them. Although it appeared that what they enjoyed in Athens was made with Pastry dough rather than Filo, I am sure it was very nice, although it sounded much more Turkish than Greek.
Here’s how I made it:
Mix in a bowl:
7 oz. Feta Cheese
1/2 cup cottage ( or Ricotta) cheese
3 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
sea salt ( although there is a lot of salt in the cheese, I tend to add a bit more)
garlic powder ( ah, who can blame me?)
ground black pepper ( it’s what they do over there)
2 eggs
Filo Dough
Take 3 or four sheets of Filo dough and slice in half length wise. ( some recipes call for using only one sheet… but this makes the turnover too fragile). I would suggest using a broad knife to turn the dough.
Brush the dough with olive oil – or butter- if you like that sort of thing 😉 …. place a spoonful of batter on a corner of the filo dough and fold over as if folding a flag. The first fold makes a triangle and this is done over and over until it is completely wrapped!
When completed, place on a greased cookie sheet, brush the top of the filo dough and sprinkle with a small amount of salt, pepper and garlic powder
Bake
Bake at around 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
enjoy!
Roger Freberg
PS. Feta Cheese can be rather strong and rugged for many tastes and mixing in another milder cheese gives this dish a broader appeal.
