Three Cheese Filo Pie

Name: Three Cheese Filo Pie
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Add to recipe book

roubashahin.com.au

Mains Sides

Crisp golden filo layered with halloumi, feta and mozzarella. A pastry loved the world over, made my way!

PREP TIME

20 minutes

COOK TIME

30 minutes

SERVES

About this recipe

This three cheese filo pie is one of those dishes that seems to belong to everyone. Cheese baked in thin, crisp pastry turns up all around the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Greece has tiropita, Turkey has börek, the Balkans have their own burek, and in Lebanon we have cheese-filled filo rolls. Each place makes it a little differently, yet the idea is the same.

My version started when I watched a video of a Turkish pan-fried börek, where the pastry sheets are dipped in milk and oil. I loved that idea, so I made it my own with halloumi, feta and mozzarella and baked it in the oven. Australian filo sheets are smaller than the yufka used in the video, so I layer plenty of them. As a result, you get a crisp, golden top and a soft, cheesy middle.

If you’ve made my Layered Ejjeh Bake, you’ll see a similar idea here. That recipe is my spin on traditional ejjeh, with golden filo and a soft, herby egg filling. And if you love baking with filo, my Filo Wrapped Kafta Bake is another one to try. Best of all, this three cheese filo pie is forgiving. If a sheet rips, it doesn’t matter, because you just keep layering.

Ingredients

¾ cup mild neutral oil
¾ cup milk
1 egg
Salt and pepper, to taste
50 grams butter, melted
16 sheets fresh filo pastry kept under a damp tea towel
200 grams feta, crumbled
200 grams halloumi, grated
100 grams mozzarella shredded
⅓ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
White sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Notes from Rouba

Use a big Pyrex dish for the dipping mixture. It’s much easier to dip the sheets, and it helps stop them ripping.
Be really gentle with the filo. Hold each sheet from one end to the other as you dip it.
Don’t worry about wetting every corner. Once the sheets are layered, everything soaks up the mixture.
Keep your filo under a damp tea towel while you work so it doesn’t dry out.
If a sheet breaks, don’t stress. Just keep layering.
Poking the top with a cake tester lets the steam out, so the filo doesn’t puff up too much and bakes evenly.

Method

Step 1. Prepare the Tray and Dipping Mixture

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced) (200°C conventional) (390°F).
In a large Pyrex dish, whisk the oil, milk and egg together with salt and pepper to taste. Melt the butter and grease a 28 cm round oven tray with some of it. Keep the remaining butter for the top.

Step 2. Layer the Base

Take one sheet of filo, hold it gently from one end to the other and dip both sides in the mixture. You don't need to wet every corner, because the layers will soak it up. Lay the sheet in the tray, overlapping the sheets as you go around the tray and letting the edges hang over the sides, and add a few in the centre. Use seven dipped sheets, then place the eighth sheet on top without dipping it.

Step 3. Add the Cheese Filling

In a bowl, mix the feta, halloumi, mozzarella and parsley. Spread the mixture into the middle of the tray, then fold all the overhanging filo in over the filling.

Step 4. Add the Top Layer and Bake

Dip the remaining eight sheets in the same way, overlapping them to cover the whole tray. Brush the top generously with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle over the white sesame seeds. Gently poke the top a few times with a cake tester.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden and crisp.

Why do you dip the filo in the egg, milk and oil mixture?
It keeps the layers moist inside, so you get a soft, cheesy middle and a crisp, golden top. The egg also helps everything hold together when you slice it.

Why poke holes in the top?
It lets the steam escape, so the filo doesn't puff up too much and bakes evenly. I use a cake tester, but a skewer or a fork works too.

What if my filo sheets rip?
It doesn't matter. I've ripped many. Once the börek is layered and baked, nobody can tell. Just keep layering and handle the sheets gently.

Can I use different cheeses?
Yes. Keep a mix of one salty cheese and one that melts well. Halloumi and feta are already quite salty, so taste your cheeses before adding extra salt.

Can I use frozen filo?
You can, as long as it's fully thawed first. Thawed filo is much easier to handle and rips less.

Which filo should I use?
Use the thicker filo if you can find it. The thin sheets tear very easily once they’re dipped, and you’ll find yourself patching them as you go. Thicker sheets handle the dipping much better and hold their shape in the tray. If your filo is on the thin side, be extra gentle and keep the sheets under a damp tea towel while you work.

How is the filo here different from the pastry used for börek?
The pastry used for börek in Turkey is called yufka. It comes in large, round sheets and it’s thicker and more flexible than the filo we buy in Australia. That means it can be dipped in the milk and oil mixture and torn into pieces without falling apart. Our Australian filo comes in smaller rectangular sheets and it’s very thin, which is why this recipe uses so many sheets and why I dip them so gently. It still works beautifully, you just need to handle it more carefully. If you have a Greek or Middle Eastern grocer nearby, it’s worth asking whether they stock a thicker filo.