My Yiayia’s Tiropita Recipe (Greek Cypriot Filo Cheese Pie)
A crispy, cheese lovers delight, flavoured with the best of Greece and Cyprus’ cheeses this tiropita (cheese pie) will wow your guest with it’s presentation and taste.
My 89 year old Yiayia (Greek for Grandmother) was an amazing cook and her foodie friends were always trying new twists on their old favourite recipes. She came to visit me when she was 82 years old. She lived in South Africa and journeyed across to Cyprus and then to me in the UK. This was a huge journey for her and one that to this day I feel blessed she did. We needed a quick dinner when we returned from a day out and we made her ‘new’ favourite recipe for Tiropita.
‘The ricotta makes it lighter and creamier, add a tablespoon of cold water to the egg” she said to me ‘it takes away that eggy smell’. We both share a dislike for the smell of egg in dishes.
As children we used to call Tiropita, cholesterol pie for obvious reasons, however, we loved an indulgent slice for a lunch or dinner with a side salad and we were taught that everything in moderation is good for the soul.
The recipe is a wonderful addition to a picnic, alfresco lunch or dinner in summer or winter.
Tiropita is delicious served straight from the oven, warm and even cold with a chopped Greek salad.
- 3 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon cold water
- 250g Ricotta cheese
- 125g Feta cheese, crumbled
- 250g Halloumi grated
- 1 heaped tablespoon dried mint
- 6 sheets Filo Pastry
- 125g butter to brush onto filo sheets
- Optional sesame seeds to garnish
- Read the instructions before you begin.
- Use a 25cm round cake tin ideally loose bottomed.
- Using a pastry brush, butter the tin well.
- Crack the eggs to a mixing bowl and beat until doubled in volume and white in colour, add a tablespoon of cold water.
- Add the cheeses and beat together.
- Rubbing the dried mint in-between the palms of your hands and stir the mint through the egg and cheese mixture.
- Take a sheet of filo pastry, place it into the buttered round dish, add 6 sheets of filo pastry buttering between each sheet except the last layer. Insure each sheet is placed in the opposite direction to the last (ie if you were looking at a clock face and placing a sheet of filo at 12 and 6 o'clock, place the next sheet of filo at 9 and 3 o'clock).
- Leave the filo flaps overhanging.
- Next fill the filo base with all the cheese mixture.
- Now fold the overhanging filo pastry towards the centre of the pie, starting with the inner layer and working outwards, to cover the filling with filo.
- Bake at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- To check that the cheese mixture is cooked, gently insert a knife into a central spot. If the cheese is cooked it will may show on the knife in little balls, with the knife being mainly clean.
- If it is still uncooked the cheese mixture will streak on the knife and the knife will look wet with mixture.
- If you see a streak of cheese cook the pie for a few more minutes and check again.
- If the top takes on too much colour and the cheese mixture hasn't cooked, loosely cover the pie with greaseproof paper or foil to prevent excessive browning.
Filo in the UK comes in odd sized boxes usually from 6-12 sheets.
Use as many sheets you have in the box.
Layer ⅓ on the bottom and ⅔ on the top for a conventional pie.
