Feta cheese is a white, dry crumbly cheese that can be made either from cows’, ewes’ or goats’ milk. It is matured in brine to give it a sharp acidic and salty taste. These small triangles of crisp filo pastry with a savoury soft centre contain a mix of feta and haloumi cheese. They’re ideal for dinner parties as a pre-meal nibbler. Makes 16.
125g (4½ ounces) feta cheese
125g (4½ ounces) haloumi cheese
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, or mint
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon caraway seeds, dry-roasted and coarsely ground
12 sheets filo pastry
¼ cup olive oil or melted butter
Preheat the oven to 200° C / 400° F.
Grate the feta and haloumi cheese into a bowl and mix in the thyme or mint, the pepper and the roasted caraway seeds.
Cut the stack of filo sheets lengthwise into 3 even strips with a sharp knife. This will give you 36 strips of pastry.
Brush one strip with smears of butter or oil and place a second strip on top. At the base of this, spoon on a small tablespoon of the cheese mixture.
Fold the bottom edge of the pastry up to form a triangle over the filling. Continue to flip the triangle over and over, working up the pastry strip until it is all used up, forming a little triangular parcel. Repeat this procedure until all the pastry and cheese is used. Place the parcels on a baking sheet and brush with the remaining butter or oil.
Bake in the hot oven for about 15 minutes, or until the parcels are crisp and golden.
Serve warm or at room temperature.