tiropitas

It's a cooking marathon here. High tea is coming, everybody get ready! You're about to get a lot more food pictures and recipes. Don't think you'll mind though. These Greek wonders are a cinch to put together, and crazy delicious. I made about forty last night and they're hanging out in the freezer, waiting to be baked up tomorrow( if you do prepare them ahead like this, freeze in a single layer first, then once they're nice and solid feel free to stack them/pile them in a bowl/toss them in a bag. With this method, they don't need any special treatment when you're ready to bake, just a few minutes more in the oven). And the story of how I first tasted them and got the recipe is pretty good. My first semester of college I took a religious studies class. As part of the curriculum, we were charged with experiencing a religious service that was foreign to us. Being the budding anthropologist/sociologist I was, I attended several. The most impressive to me was a Greek orthodox Holy Thursday service. The ritual of everything was overwhelming, as was the feast that was laid out afterwards. It included these little heavenly triangles, and the woman who made them must have noticed me coming back for more and more, because we ended up talking, and she told me the recipe. It was a cinch to commit to memory, and though I haven't made these but twice in the 7 years since, it all came back to me with no hesitation last night. There are no measurements in the recipe since it really is foolproof, and everything is meted out depending on how many you're making. I have faith that you can figure it out for yourself.


To make your own, you'll need:
phyllo dough, fresh or thawed
butter, melted
cottage cheese
feta
eggs

-In a 50/50 ratio, mix together the cottage cheese and feta. Crack an an egg (or two, or even three in my case), and stir to combine. You want a thick, but slightly runny mixture with just a tint of yellow from the yolks
-Working with one at a time, lay a sheet of phyllo horizontally on a large cutting board/work surface. Brush the dough all over with melted butter. Using a sharp knife, make vertical cuts in the dough about every two inches, making about four long strips of dough per sheet
-Place a spoonful of the cheese mixture at the end of each strip, and fold one bottom corner up to make a triangle. Keep folding/flipping as you would a flag. Fondly recall your days in the scouts, or on flag duty at school
-When the triangle is all rolled up, gently place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and brush with just a bit more butter
-Bake at 325 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden on top
-απολαμβάν !!!!

Tiropita station ready to go. A fine glass of red wine sure helps everything along

Phyllo all buttered up

Roll, roll, roll

One last fatty, decadent touch