Traditional Greek pastry made with layers of buttered phyllo filled with a delicious feta + egg mixture.
I have two ways of making them below; larger rectangular cheese pockets or the smaller traditional triangles. We personally enjoy the larger ones as a meal with a fresh crisp Greek salad and the littler ones we serve more as appetizers.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients:
- 600g feta cheese (I use goats feta)
- 2 tbsp semolina
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup milk
- a pinch nutmeg
- a pinch or two of pepper
- 1 pkg Krinos phyllo pastry sheets thawed (24 sheets are needed for this recipe)
- sesame seeds for sprinkling
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or melted butter to brush onto the phyllo sheets (I absolutely love Lidrivio from Patrida Imports)
Directions: (for large rectangular Tiropita Pockets)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl lightly beat the eggs with a fork, add the milk and the semolina. Mix well. Crumble in the feta and add a dash of nutmeg and a little pepper. Mix well and set mixture aside.
- Open up your phyllo and lay it out completely. With the phyllo laid horizontally like a place mat, cut all the sheets in half vertically.(Make sure to lay a damp cloth over the phyllo sheets you aren’t using so as to not have them dry up.)
- Begin by laying one of the 1/2 sheets of phyllo on the counter and brush with oil. (Be gentle, they can fall apart easily.) Layer with and additional 3 sheets making sure to lightly brush with oil in between. (4 sheets total per tiropita)
- Add a scant 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture onto the oiled phyllo sheets about 1 inch up from the bottom. Fold the bottom up and over the mixture and then folding over the sides until completely sealed.
- Repeat until all the mixture is used up. I ended up with 12 tiropita pockets.
- Place on baking sheet seam-side down. Brush the tops with a little oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Want to make them into small triangles? Follow the directions below:
Directions: (for small triangular tiropita pockets)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl lightly beat the eggs with a fork, add the milk, and the semolina. Mix well. Crumble in the feta and add a small dash of nutmeg and a little pepper. Mix well and set mixture aside.
- Open up your phyllo and lay it out.
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Layer 3 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing melted butter/oil in between each layer and brushing butter/oil on top. (Make sure to lay a damp cloth over the phyllo sheets you aren’t using so as to not have them dry up.)
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Cut the phyllo stack into strips, roughly 3 inches wide – about 4 strips.
- Add a tbsp of the mixture onto the bottom of the phyllo.
- Starting at the filled end, bring the bottom corner up to the top, creating a triangle that encases the filling. Then, fold the triangle over. Then, fold the triangle down. Continue folding until the end of the dough is reached. Re-butter the end to ensure it sticks firmly.
- Repeat until the mixture is used up. You should end up with 24 tiropita pockets.
- Place on the baking sheet seam-side down. Brush the tops with a little oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
xo,
Recipe Yields: 12 Servings
PureSense Health Clients: 1 Large Rectangular Serving of Tiropita = (2 Starch + 2 protein + 1 Fat + 1 Dairy) or (2 Starch + 4 Protein + 1 Fat)
Note: If you made 24 of the smaller triangle shaped tiropita pockets as appetizers count 1 serving as: 1 starch + 1 Dairy