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Tyropitta

The filling is a traditional one for the famous Greek pie. A milder-tasting alternative was adopted in Britain by my contemporaries from Egypt. Both make a lovely teatime savory as well as a snack meal accompanied by salad.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 16-20

Ingredients

1 pound cottage cheese
1 pound feta cheese, mashed with a fork
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Pepper
4 tablespoons finely chopped dill, chervil, mint, chives, or parsley
14 sheets fillo pastry
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted, or 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put the cheeses with the eggs in a bowl and mix thoroughly, until well blended. Add pepper and stir in the herbs.

    Step 2

    Follow the instructions for “Making a Large Layered Greek-Style Fillo Pie” on page 130. Serve preferably hot.

  2. Variations

    Step 3

    Paint the top sheet with 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon water (do not brush with butter), and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

    Step 4

    For another filling which is not traditional and does not sound very nice but is actually wonderful, put 1/2 pound edam, 1/2 pound gouda, 1/2 pound cheddar, all cut into pieces in the food processor with 1/2 pound cottage cheese and 4 eggs, and blend to a homogeneous mass.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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