Filo cheese pie (tiropita)
serves
6
“Think of spanakopita, manitaropita or sfakianopita and they all have one thing in common: cheese! But out of all the Greek pies, tiropita – or pita for short – is my favourite, and I promise that this pie will amaze your friends and family with its crisp and tangy flavour. A mature feta gives the pie a bold and salty flavour, so be careful with how much salt you add.” – Debbie Xanthopoulos
Ingredients (6)
- 200g fresh firm ricotta
- 200g Greek feta, crumbled
- 2 cups (300g) special white flour or 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 tbs white wine vinegar
- 90ml extra virgin olive oil
- 60g unsalted butter
Method
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1.Place the ricotta and feta in a large bowl and use a wooden spoon to mix them together until well combined.
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2.Combine the flour, a pinch of salt, vinegar, 1/4 cup (60ml) oil and 1/2 cup (125ml) of water in a large bowl and mix to form a rough dough. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
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3.Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, add the remaining oil, then remove from the heat.
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4.Divide the dough in half and roll out each half into a 2cm thick disc. Brush with some of the butter and oil mixture, then cover the discs with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
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5.Preheat the oven to 200°C. Brush a little of the butter and oil mixture over a large baking tray.
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6.Prepare a work surface by placing a large clean cloth or plastic tablecloth on a table and, if using a plastic tablecloth, sticking the edges to the table with sticky tape (this will prevent the tablecloth from bunching when you stretch the dough). Working with one disc of dough at a time, place the dough on the cloth and use your hands to gently stretch it as thinly as possible, until it is roughly 80cm x 80cm.
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7.Lightly brush the dough with some of the butter and oil mixture, then use a spoon or your hand to gently smear half the feta mixture over the stretched dough. Remove the sticky tape (if using) from the tablecloth, then start rolling the dough sheet by lifting the edge of the tablecloth closest to you and letting the dough roll over itself to enclose the filling and to form a long sausage. Roll the sausage into itself to form a coil, then repeat with the remaining dough, a little more of the butter and oil mixture and the remaining feta mixture to make another long sausage. Wrap the sausage around the first coil to make a large snail shape. Brush the remaining butter and oil mixture over the top.
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8.Transfer to the prepared tray and bake for about 35 minutes, until golden, then slice and serve.
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