Saghar Setareh’s cookbook Pomegranates & Artichokes tells the captivating tale of her food journey from Iran to Italy. Here, she shares her recipe for ‘Feta-Stuffed Filo Triangles’ and lets you feel like you’re tagging along for a leg of her trip. These triangles are filled with a combination of feta, hard cheeses and herbs, providing a delectable briny and gooey centre. The golden filo pastry is drizzled with honey to finish for a perfect salty-sweet combination.
How to fold phyllo triangles
Saghar Setareh’s shares her method
- Place one sheet of phyllo pastry on your work surface, with the short side facing you.
- Drizzle a little melted butter over it.
- Fold the sheet in half lengthways, so that you have a long, narrow rectangle, with the short side facing you. Drizzle again with melted butter.
- Put a spoonful or two of the cheese mixture near the bottom edge of the phyllo.
- Take the bottom left corner of the pastry and fold it over to the right, at a right angle, so that the filling is covered with a triangle of pastry.
- Now fold this triangle onto itself and away from you so you’re left with a rectangle again.
- Keep folding like this until you end up with a final triangle.
Phyllo Triangles With Feta
An addictive and versatile recipe, these phyllo pastry triangles are one of the party appetizer ideas. Filled with a combination of feta, gouda or gruyere cheeses and herbs, they have a gooey centre and should be served right out of the oven.
Ingredients
- 5½ oz (150g) feta cheese finely crumbled
- 5½ oz (150g) semi-hard cheese (such as gruyère, gouda, emmental or fontina) grated
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp dried oregano and/or a small bunch of dill finely chopped
- 5½ tbsp butter
- 9-10 filo pastry sheets approx. 10 x 14½ inches (25 x 37 cm)
- 2 tbsp honey or to taste
- black and white sesame seeds for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃).
- Mix the cheeses, egg, milk and herbs together. Melt the butter and set aside.
- Have a damp, clean tea towel ready before you open the package of filo pastry, and work with one filo pastry sheet at a time, keeping the rest very well covered with the damp cloth so they don't dry out. I also like to cover my work surface with parchment paper when making this recipe, so the dough doesn't stick to the surface, and to catch any drips from the melted butter.
- Place one sheet of filo pastry on your work surface, with the short side facing you. Drizzle a little melted butter over it (drizzling supposedly gives a flakier pastry than brushing it with butter). Fold the sheet in half lengthways, so that you have a long, narrow rectangle, with the short side facing you. Drizzle again with melted butter.
- Put a spoonful or two of the cheese mixture near the bottom edge of the phyllo. Take the bottom left corner of the pastry and fold it over to the right, at a right angle, so that the filling is covered with a triangle of pastry. Now fold this triangle onto itself and away from you so you're left with a rectangle again. Keep folding like this until you end up with a final triangle. Once you start folding you'll get the hang of it, I promise.
- Place the triangles on a baking sheet and make the others in the same way. If any melted butter is left over, drizzle it over all of the little pies before baking.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and crisp.
- To serve, arrange on a platter, drizzle lightly with honey, and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. Serve warm, for breakfast, a snack or a light lunch with a bit of salad.
