My mother used to make tyropitakia, these crunchy, delicious cheese turnovers, whenever we expected family or friends ‘for coffee or tea’ and always as an indispensable item for our picnic baskets.
She often asked me and my sister to help her shape the small half-moon- tyropitakia: fold the disks of dough over the feta and egg stuffing and seal the edges with the tines of a small fork.
Costas’ mother, I hear, had a very similar recipe, and she also had a stock of tyropitakia at home most of the time, just in case.
Unlike my version, made with two round pieces of dough, my mother’s recipe was made with margarine and was more flexible and elastic, so she folded the disk over the filling creating the common half-moon turnovers.
By the way, Costas never really liked these tyropitakia, he said, but lately he remembered them and was longing for them, regretting not having kepthis mother’s red-covered recipe notebook.
In any case, after he tasted my latest creations, I asked him which recipe he prefers, and he said “yours of course my love,” and to my “why?" he replied “out of fear, my love…"
I have tweaked my mother’s basic recipe using just olive oil instead of Vitam, the commercial name of the margarine she used.
Fortunately, margarine is no longer a staple in Greek kitchens. Back then, in homes in the southern part of the country this yellow, semi-soft margarine was heavily promoted as ‘modern, light and flavorful’ in comparison with olive oil, our traditional fat. It became an indispensable ingredient, spread on the bread slices we ate in the morning or afternoon, and used in savory and sweet baking, as cow’s milk butter was quite expensive, and not easily available until the late 1960ies.
Incidentally, this Sunday and through the upcoming week Greeks who follow the old religious traditions are supposed to eat cheeses and all kinds of dairy, abstaining from meat. Then from Monday, Mars 3, the four-week long Lent before Easter starts. But we will talk about that next Thursday…
TYROPITAKIA: Crunchy turnovers with feta and pecorino
For 12-15 pieces
1 cup olive oil
1 cup strained full-fat yogurt
1-pound self-rising flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely grated kefalotyri or Pecorino
Freshly ground black pepper
STUFFING
½ pound (250 grams) crumbled feta
1 cup grated graviera or aged cheddar
1 large egg
Freshly ground pepper
EGGWASH 1 egg yolk mixed with 2 teaspoons milk
Nigella or sesame seeds (optional)
In a bowl mix the oils with yogurt and cheese and grind some pepper over.
In a separate bowl toss the flour, corn starch, and baking powder then pour over the liquids and using a spatula or your hands, toss to mix only until well incorporated. It would be shaggy, soft and oily dough.
Divide in two, and roughly shape each piece into a log and cover with kitchen film. Let rest for at least 1 hour, or better overnight in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 200C (400F) or 180C (350F) convection.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
MAKE THE FILLING in a bowl by mixing with a fork the egg, feta, graviera, and pepper.
Take half the dough, keep the other half in the fridge, and divide it into 12-15 pieces, then halve each piece again, without over working the dough .
Flatten each piece into a rough circle and place a small portion of the filling in the center. Cover with a second circle of dough, pinch the edges to seal and transfer to the baking tray. Continue with the rest of the reserved dough and stuffing.
Brush the little pies with egg wash, and sprinkle with Nigella or sesame seeds, if you like.
Bake for about 25 minutes or more, until golden brown.
If you bake both trays together in convection mode, change the trays after 15-20 minutes --top to bottom, and back to front.
Tyropitakia are wonderful warm or cold, the next day.
Wrap leftovers in parchment paper and store in airtight containers or freeze, and reheat for about 15-20 minutes before serving, if you like.
“I’ve recently discovered the pleasure — and the comfort — of strolling to the sound of cooking memoirs,” wrote Elisabeth Egan in the NYT, choosing some interesting food memoires that would happily accompany your cooking. I prefer to listen to podcasts about food when I am in the kitchen. I suggest you too listen to the often very interesting Taste of Food, with its extended archive of talks with chefs, authors, and food journalists. I like to listen more attentively to memoirs and novels at different times of the day.
