Delicious Little Cheese Pies! (Pitarakia Milou)
Imagine delicious packets of golden pastry wrapped around a melty cheese filling. These traditional little cheese pies (pitarakia) from the island of Milos will amaze you! Discover how to make them to perfection with this traditional Greek recipe.
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 10 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 250g all-purpose flour (9 ounces)
- 120ml lukewarm water (1/2 cup)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (or 1 tbsp lemon juice)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 red onion, grated
- 80g pecorino sardo, grated (3 ounces)
- 60g emmental or regato cheese, grated (2 ounces)
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp fresh mint, chopped (optional)
- oil for frying
Instructions
- 1
To prepare these delicious Greek cheese pies, start by making the dough. Add the flour into a large bowl; using your hands make a dimple in the middle and pour in the olive oil, the vinegar and salt.
- 2
Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients by hand, whilst adding gradually the lukewarm water, until the dough is soft and smooth. If the dough is too sticky add a little bit more flour. Cover the dough with a towel and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
- 3
In the meantime, prepare the filling; grate the cheese and blend with the mint.
- 4
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough (approx. 0.2cm thick), on a floured surface, and cut some circles (about 12 cm diameter), as seen in the picture. Place a full spoon of the filling on each circle and fold the dough, creating a half-moon. Join the edges well, using a fork.
- 5
Fry the cheese pies in hot oil, at medium-high heat; when one side becomes golden, turn them on the other side. Remove the pies with a slotted spoon and place on some kitchen paper to absorb the extra oil. Enjoy while still warm!
- 6
Traditionally, these Greek cheese pies (pitarakia), are made with “Milos cheese”, which is a kind of yellow, dry and salty cheese produced in Milos. As it is highly unlikely to find it anywhere else, the best alternative is to use a mixture of pecorino and emmental or regato cheese. If you, like me, love feta chesse, then a really delicious variation is to use for the filling feta cheese and a nice hard yellow cheese