Calling all cheese lovers! My first recipe is a delicious cheese pie, which is actually a recipe I learned from my mum. Whenever I make it, the smells from the kitchen remind me of her and her delicious cooking. It’s a quite simple recipe and can be used as a starter in a dinner party and be sure that your guests will be bowled over! Left-overs can be used as a snack for the next day.
Ingredients:
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1 packet of filo pastry.
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500 gr (17 oz) of Feta cheese.
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500 gr (17 oz) of Gouda or other yellow cheese.
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4 eggs.
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A little less than 500 ml (less than 1 pint) of milk.
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50 grams (2 oz) of finely-chopped flat leaf parsley.
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Extra-virgin olive oil.
You prepare the mix of the cheeses: flake the Feta in small pieces with a fork and do the same with the Gouda, preferably with a knife. Feta is needed to give the salty taste and Gouda for the nutty one. Instead of Gouda or with it, you may use any cheese you prefer, Emmental, Havarti, Edam etc. Has to be something that will melt and give a smooth and maybe edgy taste. You can put some pepper on the mix (no salt! Feta is salty enough).
In a medium tray you spread a little bit of olive oil using a kitchen brush. Then you start layering the filo sheets. After you put the first one, you brush it with olive oil and you layer the second sheet. You keep doing that until you have 4-5 layers.
You spread half of the cheese mix on the tray. You cover it with two filo sheets. These sheets should not be perfectly aligned as the bottom ones but rather wrinkled. On top of them you spread the rest of the cheese mix and you start layering 4-5 filo sheets as you did on the bottom. Remember to brush each one with olive oil. If not, the filo will turn to biscuit after midnight! At the end, you fold the excess of bottom and top filo sheets to confine the pie so it looks like a pillow. Cut with a knife the filo that was left from folding.
The most important part now: in a jar, you whisk the eggs and you add the milk and the parsley. Stir until you have a smooth mixture. With a knife, cut the pie along the tray horizontally and vertically into the pieces you will serve it later. Careful, the knife should not reach the bottom but ~ the middle of the pie. Then pour the egg-milk mixture on top of the pie. Shake the tray so it covers it all. Wait for a couple of minutes until the the milk-egg is absorbed. Your pie is ready to go to the preheated oven (190 degrees Celsius – 380 Fahrenheit). Cook for ~ 40 minutes, until golden brown.
When the pie is out of the oven, let it rest for ~ 10 minutes. It will be easier to cut and serve.
Bon apetit!
