Small Cheese Pies

My adventures with dough continue.
This time I made a big batch and I divided it in four. I used the one part for my finger-tiny cheese pies and put the rest in the freezer. I can use it some other time as a base for a tart or to make more small pies with different fillings (spinach, sausage, potato mash or even pastrami). Each part makes about 20 pieces, depending on the size you want them to be. You can eat them hot, straight from the oven, serve them in a party as finger food or they are perfect for a lunch box.


For the dough, I need:

- 500 gr all purpose flour
- 50 gr butter ( you can also use olive oil)
- 20 gr fresh yeast or 1 sachet dry yeast
- 3 eggs
- 1 full teaspoon salt
- 2 full teaspoons sugar
- 200 ml milk, slightly warm (around 35C)
- 100 gr yogurt
- 1 extra egg yolk diluted in a tablespoon of water

I disolve the yeast and the sugar in the milk. I put the flour in a basin (you can use your food processor) and I add all the ingredients. I mix and kneed the dough until it becomes soft, that is after 10 minutes. If it is sticky I add some flour. I divide it immediately and keep the quantity that I need in a bowl covered with a plastic bag, for at least half an hour. The rest goes in the freezer.

Meanwhile I prepare the filling : I mix about 200 gr crumbled feta cheese (you can use any kind of cheese you like), one chillie pepper finely chopped, 1 tablespoon each of finely chopped parsley and dill, and a bit of olive oil.

On a floured surface I roll out the dough and I cut small discs, about 5 cm in diameter. I put 1 tsp of filling in the center, fold them an press the rim with a fork. I let them rest for about 15 minutes. I brush the surface with the egg yolk and bake them in medium heat oven (180C) for about 20 minutes, until golden.

Enjoy!!!!

My Green pots sunbathing!

Red long pepper, cherry tomato, beef tomato, bell pepper, egg-plant, some basil, lavender and rosemary.
I've never grown vegetables in pots before but there is always a first time!!!

Yummy Spinach Pie.

Lately I became obsessed with all types of pastry. This is my favorite. Spinach and Feta cheese pie(aka Spanakopitta in Greek). I make the fyllo pastry myself. It crumbles like a soft cookie and the spinach filling is mellow. Good Greek virgin olive oil in generous quantities is a must!
I add different vegetables such as leeks, chard and spring onions but also herbs such as parsley, dill, and mint. It depends on what there is in season or in the market. My mother used to add the green leaves of wild poppies (we had a ball after that, lol), my mother-in-law adds alfalfa, and my aunt adds cabbage or lettuce leaves.
I need for the fyllo pastry:

- 4 cups of plain flour
- 2 cups of water
- 1 cup of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of vinegar (this make it extra crumbly)
- 1 full teaspoon of salt

If the mixture is sticky I add a handful of flour. If it is very tough I add a little water. I kneed the dough until it becomes very soft, like a soft sponge. I put the dough in a container and then in a plastic bag to let it rest. After all this kneeding it really needs it!
I prepare the filling. For this I usually need:

- 500 gr spinach
- 1 or 2 leeks (the white part only)
- 3 spring onions
- a hand full of any herb you like (parsley, dill, mint)
- 250 gr feta cheese in crumbles
- salt, pepper, olive oil

Wash the greens, chop them in a big bowl, add the cheese, some olive oil and a handful of flour. Mix them well/
Divide your dough in four and use a rolling pin to make four sheets of fyllo pastry. Put some olive oil in a baking tray, add two layers of your fyllo, sprinkle with olive oil and put half the spinach mixture. Put on another layer of fyllo pastry, the rest of the mixture and cover with the forth layer of fyllo. Trim the pastry at the rim of your baking tray and make a nice border.Sprinkle with olive oil again and with a sharp knife carve diagonally the surface of your pie. Bake in medium heat, 180C.

You'll never taste the same pie twice, even by the same cook. So make this recipe according to your taste and enjoy it.