Homemade Empanadas with Feta Cheese and Yogurt

The Greek cheese empanadas or "tyropitakia" in Greek, that can also be called "half-moon cheese pies" (and what a beautiful name that is!), are a wonderful appetizer or snack that can be prepared within minutes.

A favorite all year round, they can be found at every Greek table and every restaurant and bakery. And if you didn't know, there's probably a bakery in every neighborhood in Greek cities!

They offer various types of freshly baked bread loaves (sliced bread isn't popular in Greece), sweet breads, cookies, jelly and fruit tarts, cheese and spinach pies, breakfast pizzas, croissants, wheat rusks and biscuits, and even juices, plain and flavored milk, ice cream cones and sodas.

Be sure to visit several bakeries when you visit Greece. You can't find anything similar anywhere in the world!

Back to our homemade empanadas: the preparation is very easy. All you need is flour, strained plain yogurt, feta cheese, a couple eggs and a few more things.

INGREDIENTS

For the pastry

2 cups or 8 oz all-purpose unbleached flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup melted butter or margarine

1 cup strained plain low fat yogurt

1 tsp olive oil for greasing baking sheet

1 egg yolk lightly beaten for glazing

salt

For the filling

5 oz feta cheese crumbled with a fork

3 oz grated cheese of your preference

1 large egg lightly beaten

freshly ground black pepper

To make the pastry, put the butter and yogurt in a bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon.

When you have a creamy mixture, add the baking powder and the flour and mix with your hands.

Add a little more flour if the mixture is too wet. The pastry must feel soft.

Preheat the oven to 375F or 180C and grease a baking sheet with the olive oil.

You may also use parchment paper.

Make the filling in a different bowl. Beat one egg lightly in the bowl. Crumble in the feta cheese, then add the grated cheese and season lightly with pepper. Mix the ingredients well with a spoon.

On a lightly floured surface roll out one third of the pastry to a thickness of half-fingers width.

Using a glass or pastry cutter cut out 3 in rounds.

Place a heaped teaspoon of filling along the middle of each round, then fold it over to make a small half moon shape.

Press the edges together to seal them. You may also use the edge of a fork to make the pastry stick better.

Place the cheese empanadas on the greased baking sheet.

Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling until they are all used up.

Brush the top of the empanadas with some egg yolk and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Serve hot or cold.

NOTES

I have successfully used 100% whole wheat flour when preparing these cheese empanadas.

I suggest you use a margarine without trans fatty acids when preparing this appetizer.

You can also find packaged crumbled feta cheese.