Tiropita — Greek Phyllo Triangles with Feta

Take the phyllo out of the refrigerator and leave it in its sealed packaging while you prepare the filling. Preheat the oven to 180°C on the convection setting and line two baking sheets with parchment paper, each with a usable surface of about 30 × 40 cm. Melt the butter over low heat without browning it, then let it cool slightly; set aside 60 g for brushing the sheets and 20 g for the tops of the triangles. Have a pastry brush, a sharp knife, and a cooling rack ready.

Break the thoroughly drained feta into small, uneven crumbs with a fork. Beat the egg and mix it with the feta and pepper: the mixture should hold together but retain visible cheese curds, with no pool of liquid at the bottom. Divide the filling in the bowl into four similar portions, one for each pair of sheets; no extra salt is needed because feta is salty.

Open the phyllo and unroll the sheets. Cover the unused pastry with plastic wrap and lay a slightly damp towel on top; the wet cloth should not touch the phyllo. Lay out one sheet, brush it thinly with butter from the 60 g portion, cover with a second sheet, and brush that one too. Cut this double layer into three strips about 40 cm long and 10 cm wide, cutting parallel to the longer edge of the sheets.

Divide one portion of the filling among the three strips, placing a mound near the bottom corner of each strip, about 1 cm from the edges. Fold the bottom corner diagonally over to the opposite long edge to cover the cheese and form a triangle. Continue folding this triangle up the strip, alternating diagonal and upward folds, keeping its shape and enclosing the filling in successive layers; do not squeeze the filling out. Lightly brush the final piece of pastry with butter from the same portion for the sheets, press it against the triangle, and place seam-side down.

Prepare the remaining three pairs of sheets in the same way, using the rest of the filling and the butter reserved for the pastry. You will have 12 triangles; arrange six on each baking sheet in two rows of three, about 2 cm apart. Brush the tops with the remaining 20 g melted butter, especially the dry edges. All seams should be underneath.

Put both baking sheets on oven racks below and above the middle of the preheated oven. Bake at 180°C on the convection setting for about 25–30 minutes; halfway through, swap the sheets' positions and rotate each one front to back. The pastry should be golden, dry, and crisp at the edges and lightly browned underneath, with a set filling and no runny egg. If the triangles need longer, leave them for a few more minutes, watching the thin corners so they do not burn.

Transfer the triangles to a cooling rack with a spatula and leave for about 15 minutes so steam can escape from underneath and the cheese filling can firm up slightly. Serve warm, two triangles per snack serving.