My Big Fat Greek Dinner Part One

I have this friend named Kathy Papadimitropoulis, "Pappas" for short. She is Greek of course and taught our bowling team how to make some of the favorite Greek dishes years ago. I have always wanted to try my hand again, but was worried it would be an "epic failure" as my son says.

When we were in Farmington, New Mexico (of all places) Hubby and I met up with an old friend and her hubby at Taverna Greek Grill. They had the most AMAZING Dolmades. Big as my fist and supposedly the appetizer! I am used to the small quarter cigar size type. My only complaint was they need MORE of the sauce they were served with.

Last weekend we went to The Athenian here in Aurora. The owner is my friend Kathy's cousin in a round about way. Kathy suggested the Saganaki, and I am so glad she did. It was absolutely amazing! Cheese on a baking dish, swimming in some sort of alcohol, then lit afire while the waitress exclaims "OPA!" Oooey, gooey goodness like you would not believe.

I have been thinking non stop about those huge Dolmades. I have been thinking non stop about Kathy's Tyropitakia, a Phyllo pastry triangle filled with feta cheese, eggs and parsley and baked until golden brown. Phyllo rocks in any form.

So last night I made up a batch of the Tyropitakia, courtesy of About.com. Kathy shared her recipe way back when, but I can't seem to locate it now. They were so awesome Hubby ate 17 of them in the course of the evening. It was too late for me to start on the Dolmades, so he made that his dinner. Do you have any idea how that much cheese mucks with ones system?

So today I began the Great Dolmathakia me Kima Adventure. Grape leaves stuffed with meat and rice. These meals are truly a labor of love. Something like the Tamale making process. Something that is much better done in an assembly line sort of way, as opposed to one woman going it alone. No matter how foodie psycho she is. I cooked for seven hours straight and still missed out on two of the dishes. Oh well there is still tomorrow. My body hurts.



Here are the recipes for what I have accomplished so far:

Tyropitakia: Cheese Pie Triangles
blatantly stolen from greekfood.about.com

8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated graviera (or a gruyere-type cheese)
(or 1 pound of feta cheese alone)
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 pound of thin phyllo dough sheets
1/2 cup of melted salted butter

Defrost Phyllo dough in the refrigerator overnight. Bring the phyllo to room temperature before beginning, and do not open the package until the filling has been prepared an you're ready to start making the pastry.

When you do open it, keep unused portion covered with a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap and a cool damp towel. Make sure your hands are dry when handling.

Bring eggs and phyllo to room temperature (about 3 hours).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix the cheeses, eggs, parsley and pepper in a bowl until blended. The mixture will be thick and slightly lumpy.

Cut the phyllo dough lengthwise into strips 2 1/2 to 3 inches wide (for most phyllo, this means cutting it into four strips). I did this one strip at a time, as phyllo is difficult to work with.

Using a pastry brush, brush or dot the strip lightly with melted butter and place 1 teaspoon of the cheese and egg mixture on the strip, centered one inch from the end. (I found using my fingers worked best).

Fold one corner over in a triangle, then continue turning over the triangle to the end of the phyllo strip (like folding a flag).

Brush each triangle with a little melted butter and place on a lightly buttered or non-stick baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven, move to racks or plates, cool for several minutes, and serve hot.

Yield about 80 pieces. (Since this was my first time, I yielded way less. Some had two or three strips of phyllo, some had way more, depending on how sticky the sheets were. They were all yummy, but it would be good to perfect the process to obtain the maximum amount of goodies!)