Cheese Boeregs (Phyllo Cheese Triangles)

 

1 package phyllo dough, defrosted overnight in the refrigerator if frozen

8 oz. feta cheese

½ lb. large curd cottage cheese

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

½ C. flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

white pepper to taste

2 T. grated kefalotiri or mizritha cheese, added to taste

12 T. unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks/6 oz.), melted

 

If your phyllo dough is frozen, defrost overnight in the refrigerator. This cannot be hurried.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and if baking today, preheat oven to 375ºF with a rack in the lower third of the oven. For the filling: In a medium bowl, crumble the feta into small pieces. Add the cottage cheese, eggs, parsley and garlic; mix thoroughly to combine and season with pepper. Add the grated kefalotiri/mizritha to taste – careful, it’s salty. Melt the butter and have standing nearby with a pastry brush. Assembly: Remove the phyllo from the wrapper and carefully unfold onto a large cutting board or directly on the counter. Cover with a sheet or two of overlapping plastic wrap so the phyllo is completely covered on all sides – it dries out very quickly and can become a bit difficult to work with so don’t dawdle. Working quickly, one sheet at a time, keeping the remaining sheets covered to avoid drying out, place one sheet flat down lengthwise in front of you (I do this on a very large cutting board.) Brush the surface evenly with melted butter. Do not drown the sheet in butter; use just enough to give a nice even coat. Top with another piece of phyllo and brush evenly with melted butter. Do this until you have a stack of 4 buttered sheets – do not butter the top sheet. Cut the dough lengthwise into 6 long strips. Place 1 tsp. of filling at the base of the strip. Fold the strip into a triangle shape, back and forth, to the top of the strip, pinching and tucking the corners in as you go to seal in the filling. You want nice tidy, tight little packages. Brush the triangle lightly with butter and place on the parchment lined sheet pan, seam side down. Continue until all the dough and/or filling is used. You may find yourself short a few sheets of phyllo. If this happens, either use less sheets this last round or cut the phyllo sheets to make enough layers/strips. Or toss them and call it a day. If there is any remaining melted butter, brush the finished triangles to give an extra coating. To bake: place the pan in the lower third of a 375ºF oven and bake until crispy and golden brown, about 15-18 minutes total (about 22 minutes if baking frozen). Halfway through baking, flip the pastries so they’ll brown evenly and give the pan a spin. To freeze: arrange the pastries in a single layer, wrap the entire sheet pan in plastic wrap and freeze overnight. Once solid, transfer to a large Ziploc bag with the name, baking temperature and baking time and store in the freezer up to 2 months. Bake as directed, adding a few minutes to the baking time. Serve hot or room temperature. These will hold and stay perfectly crispy for about an hour, maybe more. If you want to make ahead, I’d recommend freezing and baking just before you’d like to serve them.