Boxades (greek: μποξάδες)

Boxades, meaning handkerchifs, are small pies stuffed with lamb's meat and casseri cheese. It's a local recipe of Crete, though a larger version of a pie can also be found in Cyclades. It is better to use ready-made thin phyllo pastry rather than homemade because it's thinner and they are easier baked.They are an excellent appetizer and can be accompanied by a cool plate of tzatziki or plain yogurt.

We'll need:

• 1500 grams lamb's meat, preferably from the rear leg
• 500 grams of kasseri cheese, or another yellow semi-hard cheese
• 15 sheets of thin phyllo pastry
• 200 grams butter
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• dry oregano, salt, peper 

Wash the meat and cut in bite size pieces. Put them in a bowl, add the oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir them once and let them marinate for half an hour.

Meanwhile, prepare your phyllo. Spread the sheets on your working surface and cut them in four stripes. Cut also the kasseri cheese in thin slices of 6-7 cm.

Using a kitchen brush, spread each phyllo sheet with melted butter, put one slice of cheese on one end, add 2-3 pieces of meat and roll them tight, just as you would a spring roll. These are the boxades.

Brush a baking dish with butter too, and place the ready rolls in it next to each other. On top of each roll put a tiny bit of butter.

Bake in medium oven (180 C) until they are golden brown. Serve them warm, preferably with a red wine from Crete.

Good Apetite! Kali orexi!