Tyropitakia Recipes

TYROPITAKIA-CHEESE PIES

Steps:

• To make the filling, combine the all the cheese together with the parsley, nutmeg, pepper, and eggs. Mix well and set aside for 1 hour, refrigerated. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pull phyllo dough from the refrigerator and unroll. Make sure to keep the dough covered at all times while using, because it dries out quickly. Cut the phyllo into 4 strips. (If you want to make smaller tyropitakia, cut into 6 strips.) One strip at a time, brush with the melted butter and place a small dollop of cheese mix in the middle of the top of the strip. Folding the phyllo is like folding a flag, fold the right corner to the left to form a right angle and then upward. Continue folding at right angles until you reach the top and have a triangle. Place the triangles on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown on each side.

TIROPITAKIA (LITTLE CHEESE PIES)

Steps:

• Crumble or mash the feta cheese with a fork.
• Add the grated cheese, parsley, eggs and pepper.
• Cut pastry sheets in strips about 2x12 inches.
• Stack them one on top of the other to prevent From drying.
• Brush a strip of phyllo with melted butter, lay another strip on top and brush that one with butter too.
• Put one teaspoon of the filling on the short end of the strip, facing you, and fold over one corner to make a triangle.
• Continue folding pastry strip from side to side in the shape of a triangle until the entire pastry strip covers the filling. (Remember how we were taught to fold a flag into a triangular shape? Think of that as you keep folding the dough over. You should have a nice, neat, triangular packet.)
• Proceed in this manner with remaining pastry strips and filling until all are used.
• Put"tiropitakia" on a buttered baking sheet, brush generously with melted butter and bake in a moderate oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Serve hot.
• You can also make these ahead, put on a baking sheet and freeze, unbaked. When frozen, just keep them in a ziploc bag and you can have tiropitakia at a moment's notice. Just add 5 more minutes to the baking time if you're using frozen ones.

TIROPITAKIA (MINIATURE GREEK CHEESE PIES)

Steps:

• Remove the filo pastry from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature about 1 hour.
• Make the filling by mashing the feta until it crumbles.
• Add to this the eggs, Emmenthal cheese, ricotta, parsley, mint and pepper and blend well.
• Cut each filo leaf into a strip 6 x 12" (15 x 30 cm).
• Brush each leaf with the melted butter.
• Fold the leaves in half lengthwise making strips 3 x l1" (6 x 30 cm).
• Again brush with butter and place 1 Tbsp.
• of the filling at the bottom of each leaf.
• Fold over to form a triangle (like you were folding a flag) and continue folding until the strip is completed.
• Repeat with each of the strips and place the completed triangles on a well greased cookie sheet.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Brush the tops of each triangle with butter and then with a mixture of the egg yolk and 2 Tbsp of water.
• Sprinkle over with the sesame seeds and bake in a medium oven until the pastries are golden brown and flaky (about 20- 30 minutes).
• Serve hot or cool.
• Yields 16- 24 pastries.

TYROPITAKIA

Steps:

• Filling: In bowl, beat together feta, ricotta and Romano cheeses, eggs, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg until fairly smooth with some larger chunks. Stir in walnuts, green onions, parsley and dill. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)
• Place 1 sheet of phyllo on work surface, covering remainder with damp towel to prevent drying out. Brush lightly with some of the butter; cut lengthwise into 4 equal strips.
• Spoon about 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the filling about 1/2 inch (1 cm) from end of each strip. Fold 1 corner of phyllo over filling so bottom edge meets side edge to form triangle; fold up triangle. Continue folding triangle sideways and upward to end of strip, without wrapping too tightly. Repeat with remaining phyllo and filling.
• Place triangles on parchment paper-lined rimless baking sheets; brush with some of the remaining butter. (Make-ahead: Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Or freeze until firm; layer between waxed paper in airtight container and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Bake frozen.).
• Bake in top and bottom thirds of 400°F (200°C) oven until golden, about 15 minutes, 20 minutes if frozen.