Tiropitakia (little Cheese Pies)

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb feta cheese
• 1 cup grated kefalotiri or 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley (chopped spearmint is also nice)
• 2 eggs
• pepper
• 3/4 cup melted butter (or more)
• 1 lb phyllo dough (pastry sheets)

Recipe

• 1 crumble or mash the feta cheese with a fork.
• 2 add the grated cheese, parsley, eggs and pepper.
• 3 cut pastry sheets in strips about 2x12 inches.
• 4 stack them one on top of the other to prevent from drying.
• 5 brush a strip of phyllo with melted butter, lay another strip on top and brush that one with butter too.
• 6 put one teaspoon of the filling on the short end of the strip, facing you, and fold over one corner to make a triangle.
• 7 continue folding pastry strip from side to side in the shape of a triangle until the entire pastry strip covers the filling. (remember how we were taught to fold a flag into a triangular shape? think of that as you keep folding the dough over. you should have a nice, neat, triangular packet.)
• 8 proceed in this manner with remaining pastry strips and filling until all are used.
• 9 put"tiropitakia" on a buttered baking sheet, brush generously with melted butter and bake in a moderate oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
• 10 serve hot.
• 11 you can also make these ahead, put on a baking sheet and freeze, unbaked. when frozen, just keep them in a ziploc bag and you can have tiropitakia at a moment's notice. just add 5 more minutes to the baking time if you're using frozen ones.