Classic Greek cheese pie (tiropita)

Cheese Pie - Tiropita

Sold at bakeries and coffee shops, eaten piping hot out of a small paper bag. Not suitable for eating in cars as the pastry flakes go everywhere. 

This is a recipe for the simple Greek cheese pie made with 'crazy pastry'.    The pastry is super easy, flexible and easy to roll. It is perfect for any sort of pie, crunchy and delicious.

Pastry

200 grams of yoghurt (sheep, goat, cow)

150 grams softened butter . I actually melt mine

300 grams of self-raising flour.  Add the flour slowly.  It may need a little more or a little less.

Put them all together in a bowl, mix well and then knead till it is a nice soft but not sticky dough.  Leave to rest for about half an hour.  It is easier to roll out if left to rest.

Keeps for  a week in the fridge.  I didn't add any salt because the feta cheese is quite salty.  If you're using it for some other filling (sweet or sour) you may want to add half a teaspoon of salt.

While the pastry is resting make the filling.

- 2 eggs

- 200 grams feta cheese.  I grated mine because it was hard but just crumbling it into the bowl will be fine

- 200 grams of grated gouda

- 100 grams (or so) of any other cheese you have, grated

- 1/2 cup of milk

In fact just use a combination of any cheese you have in the fridge

- a handful of chopped mint or a little dried mint

- a little pepper

Mix well with a spoon

Take 2/3 of the pastry and pull it out with your hands as much as you can.  Then roll out to the size of your baking dish so it covers the bottom and the sides.

Oil your baking dish.  The baking dish should be quite large so the cheese mixture is not too thick.  Lay on the pastry and fill with the cheese mixture.  Fold over the extra on the sides.

Roll out the other 1/3 of the pastry and place it over the top as a lid.  Brush with a little milk and sprinkle some sesame seeds if you want. 

Cook about 25 minutes at 180o till golden brown. Put it near the bottom of the oven so it gets well cooked underneath as well.

Cheese pie is usually eaten as a snack in the morning.  In Crete they serve it with honey.  It definitely needs to be eaten hot and leftovers heated up.

Facts about Greece

- About 80% of Greece is mountainous (or steep steps without handrails)

- There are more than 2,000 Greek islands but only a couple of hundred are occupied

- The island of Ikaria is one of the Blue Zones where a high percentage of villagers live to be 100

- We have at least 250 days of sunshine a year

- The word 'barbarian' comes from Greek 'barbaroi" which means people who don't speak greek and sound like they are saying  'bar-bar-bar-bar'.

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