Skopelos Greek Cheese Pie Recipe With a Unique “Twist”

The ancient Greeks are said to have invented pie pastry as we know it today. In fact, in Aristophanes’ plays (5th century BC), there are references to small filled pastries. Tiropita, pronounced tee-roh-pee-tah, means cheese pie in Greek, and Skopelos Island in the Northern Sporades, is well known for a spiral variation of the dish. Usually fried as opposed to baked, it consists of a crisp phyllo pastry with a white cheesy centre (feta plus one other white cheese). Filling a dinner plate, the Skopelos Tiropita is the ideal starter, vegetarian main or side dish.

t = teaspoon
T = tablespoon

Ingredients

Dough

1 kg all-purpose (plain white) flour
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
1 T vinegar
1 t sugar 2 t salt 1 litre water (use as much as you require to make a firm dough that doesn’t stick when you roll it out)
Oil for frying

Filling

1 kg feta
1.2 kg anthotyro or mizithra (sweeter white cheese to balance out the saltiness of the feta)

Method

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl.
Pour in the vinegar.
Add the salt.
Knead slowly by hand, gradually adding water.
As the dough starts to form, add the olive oil and knead until firm (neither too hard nor too soft).
Cover with cling film so that it doesn’t form a crust.
Leave to rest in a cool place for at least an hour.

Roll out the dough to a thin consistency in a rectangle approximately 1 metre in length.
Crumble the cheeses and spread in a strip approxi
mately 1/3 along the length of the pastry surface.
Roll the dough into a cigar-shaped cylinder and seal the ends.
Twist into a snail-like coil.

Heat the frying oil in a large frying pan.
Before the oil reaches boiling point gently position the spiral pie in the oil.
Pre-boiling point placement prevents the pie from puffing up too quickly (prevents the pastry from cracking).
Fry for 1.5 to 2 minutes on either side (total of 3 to 4 minutes) until crispy and golden brown.
Remove from the pan, drain on paper towel, allow to cool slightly and serve.