Tiropita (Greek Cheese hand Pies)

Yield: 24 (3 inch) pies

Ingredients

For the Filling

8 oz feta cheese

3 oz ricotta or small curd cottage cheese

3 oz Parmesan cheese, grated

1 TBSP dried parsely

2 eggs

salt (as needed)

For the Pies

8 oz (24 sheets) phyllo dough, thawed

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the cheeses. Taste and add a pinch of salt as necessary.

3. Add the eggs and mix well.

To Make The Pies

1. Layer 3 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing melted butter in between each layer and brushing butter on top. (Be sure to keep the phyllo that you are not using under a lightly damp tea towel to keep them from drying out.)

2. Cut the phyllo stack into strips, roughly 3 inches wide.

3. Place 1 Tbsp of filling at one end of each strip of layered dough.

4. 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.

5. Place the triangle on a baking sheet, seam-side down and brush the top with butter.

6. Continue with the remaining dough and filling.

7. Bake the triangles for 10- 12 minutes, until golden and puffy.

To Freeze For Later

1. Place the unbaked triangles on a baking sheet and freeze in a single layer. Once frozen solid, transfer them to an airtight bag or container.

2. Bake from frozen at 375 F for 15-25 minutes, or until golden.

Recipe from www.CuriousCuisiniere.com - Travel the world from your kitchen! -- Tiropita (Greek Cheese Pies) -

https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/tiropita/

PASTRY for Pasties

We made Pasties for a dinner at church and found this recipe.  We were not sure that it would work since it did not resemble anything we had tried before but it was perfect.

Ingredients

8 oz butter

10 oz hot water

2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 large free-range egg, beaten

1 handful medium ground cornmeal

Bring your butter and water to the boil in a large pan, then take the pan off the heat.

Stir the flour and salt into the mixture bit by bit with a spatula, until you’ve got a dough.

Tip it on to a floured surface and use your hands to shape it into a smooth ball.

Put the ball of dough into a floured bowl, dust the top with flour, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes while you make the filling.

Dust a clean surface and a rolling pin with flour, then divide your pastry dough in half and roll each half out until it’s slightly thinner than ¼ inch.

Use a cereal bowl (See note below) (about 6 inches diameter) to cut 4 circles out of each half, so you end up with 8 circles. You may need to cut out 2 or 3 circles from each half first, then re-roll the remaining pastry to make the rest.

Dust the circles with flour, and spoon your filling into the middle of each one.

Brush the edges of the pastry with some of the beaten egg, then fold each circle in half over the filling and crimp the edges with your finger and thumb to seal them.

Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper, scatter a handful of cornmeal over the paper, and place your pasties on top.

Brush the pasties all over with more of the beaten egg and sprinkle over a little more cornmeal.

Bake in a 350 degree oven.

Pasties cook for 30 to 35 minutes

Alan Masterson and I went to Lowes hardware and bought an end cap for a six inch round metal end pipe.  We drilled a few holes in the end of it and it made the perfect round for cutting out pasties.