Over the last few years, it's become a tradition for my dad and I to cook Feta cheese pie when I come down to London to visit him. We spent this afternoon cooking up a storm, and I've spent the rest of the day devouring each scrumptious pie after pie, but... je ne regrette rien!
I thought I'd share the recipe with you guys, so you can try your hand at them. If you do, don't forget to send me photos of your cheesy creations! We tend to follow my grandmothers recipe as though it's the gospel truth, but since I got my dad a Greek cook book for Christmas, we thought we'd put its Tiropita recipe to the test...
page 72
Ingredients list:
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons of chopped dill
- 250g (8 oz) of feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- 24 sheets of filo pastry
- 125g (4 oz) of butter, melted
- salt and pepper
Serves: 6
Preperation time: 30 mins
Cooking: 40 mins
As we were feeling particularly greedy (and after all, it is Christmas) we ended up doubling the ingredients list, (except the filo pastry and butter.) First, crack your eggs into a mixing bowl and add a pinch of salt.
Next, add the dill and mix everything together.
Now, add all the Feta cheese into a larger mixing bowl and use a fork to brake down the Feta. We always add 4 large tablespoons of milk which makes the consistency easier to mix.
Next, finely chop the onions. My grandmother used to swear by the old wives tale of keeping your onions in the fridge before cutting them, as it apparently makes them irritate your eyes less.
Add your egg mix to the feta and stir it all together.
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the onions on a low heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Then add the onions to your feta.
Melt your butter in the microwave for approximately 1 minute.
Brush your tin with the melted butter using a baking brush.
Now, stack six layers of the filo sheets, ensuring that you brush each layer with the melted butter.
Then, layer the feta mix and spread evenly across the filo pastry.
Repeat this process three times, remembering to constantly re-brush each filo pastry sheet with the melted butter.
Once you've finished this process, bake the pie in a preheated oven at 200c (400 F), Gas Mark 6, for 40 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and leave the tin in the oven for ten more minutes.
After cutting your Tiropita into generous squares... they are ready to serve! Kali Orexi! Bon Appetit!
