Do you know which country consumes the most cheese in the world ? Answer : Greece ! This includes cheeses in baked goods as well as non-baked goods. Each citizen of Greece consumes an average of 30 kg of cheese per year, and 2/3 of that amount is in the form of feta cheese ! I wish Greece all the best for what they’re going through and hope things get better soon … BECAUSE WE ALL LIKE GREEK FOOD, RIGHT ?! Most of us have eaten “tiropita” or cheese pie and/or “spanakopita” or spinach pie. There are more variations of course and what I’m attempting to do here is to present 4 variations, working with a base to which you add 1 or 2 or 3 extra ingredients to create different versions. The base I used here, for the filling, is 100 grams of feta cheese and 1 egg mixed with 150 grams of extra ingredients for a total of 250 grams of filling for each version. And for the wrapping, I used 5 sheets of filo pastry dough and 3-4 tbsp of melted butter for each version ! And I did this 4 times, for you !!! And you can easily double or triple or quadruple the recipe versions ! Are you feeling SPECIAL now ?! Give it a try, don’t be shy, be creative and have fun with this … :)

filo and feta hand pies, 4 variations

20.09.2015

5 pies per version, 20 total

ingredients

base for 5 filo & feta hand-held pies (to which you add the other ingredients per version)

5 sheets of filo pastry dough
50 grams melted butter (3 ½ tbsp)
1 beaten egg (50 grams)
100 grams crumbled feta cheese
optional garnish : 1 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds

version 1 – with ricotta & mint

150 grams ricotta cheese
2 tbsp fresh chopped mint
1 tbsp wheat semolina or corn flour (to thicken the mix if too liquid)
salt and pepper to your taste

version 2 – with roasted red pepper & oregano

150 grams chopped roasted red peppers (or a mix of roasted and fresh red peppers, well-drained and patted dry)
½ tsp dried oregano (or 1-2 tbsp fresh oregano)
¼ tsp paprika
salt and pepper to your taste

version 3 – with spinach, onion & leek (some pan-frying required)

25 grams chopped fresh green onions
75 grams roughly chopped fresh spinach leaves
50 grams chopped leek
2-3 tbsp fresh chopped dill
salt and pepper to your taste

version 4 – with onion & black olives (some pan-frying required)

100 grams chopped onion
50 grams pitted and chopped black olives
1 chopped anchovy filet
2 tbsp fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt and pepper to your taste

instructions

prepare the ingredients for the version of filling you have chosen and according to the number of filo sheets you have (a 500 gram roll of filo pastry dough sheets usually contains 20-25 sheets, about 37 cm X 20 cm each)
for versions 1 and 2, simply crumble and/or chop and mix ingredients together using a fork and set aside in a bowl
for version 3, lightly fry, at medium heat, the chopped green onions and leek until tender and transparent, then add the roughly chopped spinach leaves until wilted, add the chopped dill and then let cool and add the crumbled feta cheese and beaten egg and mix well with a fork and set aside in a bowl
for version 4, at medium-high heat, lightly fry the chopped onion, then add the chopped anchovy filet and pitted and chopped black olives and chopped parsley, set aside to cool, then add the crumbled feta cheese and beaten egg and mix well with a fork and set aside in a bowl
melt the butter (for brushing the filo sheets)
using one or two sheets of writing paper, fold in half and make a template almost as long as the longer side of the filo pastry dough sheet and 1/3 as wide (approximately 30-36 cm long x 10 cm wide)
place on your work surface and cover with a sheet of baking (or waxed) paper, which will be semi-transparent and you can use the folded paper template beneath as a guide (for folding and rolling each hand pie to the same size)
open up your roll of filo pastry sheets and keep covered to avoid drying out and prepare your work surface
using 1 sheet of filo at a time, place on top of the baking (or waxed) paper, lightly brush the top side of the filo sheet with melted butter and then fold over in half and also brush the folded top side with melted butter
place slightly less than ¼ cup of filling at one end, fold over the bottom edge (the shorter side) and then fold over the right-hand and left hand edges (the longer sides) and gently roll and slightly brush with melted butter (as you roll) so that the filo pastry sheet sticks to itself, until arriving at the end of the roll
set aside on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and continue with the next one until all hand pies have been rolled and ready (sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, if you like)
*note : at this stage, if you do not wish to bake them immediately, you may freeze them for later, in a waxed paper-lined freezer-safe container and when ready to bake, slightly thaw at room temperature for 10-15 minutes and then bake in a preheated oven
preheat your oven to 190°C and when ready, bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden, rotating the baking sheet at least once mid-way
*note : do not place or leave anything made with filo in a slightly warm oven because it will soften the filo and not crisp it, the oven must be preheated between 180°-190°C
remove from oven when golden in colour and serve warm or at room temperature.

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filo and feta hand pies, 4 variations

5 pies per version, 20 total

ingredients

instructions

filo and feta hand pies, 4 variations

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