TIROPITAKIA
Tiropitakia, often referred to as Greek spiral cheese pie, is a beloved pastry deeply rooted in the culinary traditions of Greece. The name comes from the Greek words tyri (cheese) and pita (pie), reflecting its simple yet irresistible combination of flaky pastry and rich cheese filling. Variations of cheese pies can be found throughout Greece, from the mainland to the islands, where local cheeses such as feta, mizithra, and kasseri have long been staples of the Mediterranean diet. For my version I stick to how my yiayia filled hers growing up in Melbourne with a simple mix of feta and ricotta cheese, as they’re both readily available in major cities no matter where you live and simply flavoured with mint and nutmeg. If you have better access to greek cheese, feel free to play around with different cheese ratios for your own version.
What sets spiral cheese pie apart is its distinctive coiled shape, created by rolling the filled pastry into long ropes before winding them into a spiral. This technique not only creates an eye catching presentation but also ensures a perfect balance of crisp pastry and creamy filling in every bite. My recipe uses my own fresh filo recipe which is a quick make version that I created for Masterchef many years ago, but feel free to buy store bought as making your own filo does take time and repeated go’s to get right, but once you do there’s no going back.
TIROPITAKIA
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TIROPITAKIA 〰️
Time: 2 hours + 10 minutes
Serves: Makes four medium sized pastries
3 cups 00 flour (+ extra for dusting)
1 cup warm water
2 table spoons white vinegar
1 egg
2 table spoons sesame seeds
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
Cheese Filling
400gm ricotta cheese
400gm feta cheese
2 eggs
2 table spoons dried mint (or dried parsley)
1 table spoon ground nutmeg
FRESH FILO - (alternatively use store bought if short on time)
Place 2 cups 00 flour and a big pinch of salt into bowl and add warm water and white vinegar mixture as required, combing until mixture mixed through. On clean surface dump on remaining cup of flour, dusting a centre and keeping the rest to the side to gradually add in. Knead the dough on the floured surface (it will be sticky) and keep kneading the flour in for 8-10 minutes, or until the dough ball holds its shape nicely and everything is well combined. Keep dusting extra flour if you need it, but the dough should end up being a tiny bit sticky. Cut the ball into four pieces and roll into equal balls, before adding into lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film, and leave in warm spot for 30 minutes to rest.
FILLING AND BUILD
Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius fan forced.
In a bowl finely crumble in the ricotta cheese and feta cheese, before mixing in 2 eggs, dried mint, ground nutmeg, a drizzle of olive oil and salt to taste. Using your hand mix everything in together until you have a wonderfully homogenous filling. Place to the side.
Once dough has rested, drizzle some oil on clean surface and spread it around so the surface is oiled so nothing sticks. Grab a dough ball and using your hand push down to make a circle, as if you were making a pizza base. Once dough covers your hand, place on oiled surface and gently begin going around the edges and stretching out the dough. The dough should end up being almost see through by the end of the stretching. For the final stretch I will push down the sides to get it as thin as possible. If it tears do not stress, it’s going to get rolled upon itself.
Add a thick line of cheese filling on one end of the filo, before scattering small pieces of cheese filling all over and a drizzle of olive oil on top. Pull the filo over the filling and roll it up into a long cylinder shape. Then roll it out allowing it to stretch a little bit more, before rolling it up into a snail shape. Place in deep square baking tray and repeat the process with with remaining filo balls for four tiropitakia all up taking up a corner each in baking tray.
Whisk 1 egg and then brush onto the tiropitakia before sprinkling on sesame seeds all over the top. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour or until deeply golden all over. Remove from oven and enjoy nice and hot.