Yanni's Greek Tiropita

Spanakopita is very well known in the states but I've been surprised to see how little the people I know are aware of the simpler, cheesy cousin of spanakopita, tiropita. Made with feta, ricotta and a béchamel sauce, this is a simple and easy way to try your hand at cooking with phyllo dough!
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Ingredients
  

Recipe Ingredients For the béchamel

  • 2 tbsp of unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp  of all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon  of nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Recipe Ingredients For the Tiropita

  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 3 cups feta cheese (I recommend a sharp feta from a local market if you can. It is the star of the show here)
  • 3 medium eggs
  • 8 tbsp butter (unsalted, melted)
  • 20 sheets phyllo dough (try for a thicker phyllo. Its easier to work with)

Instructions
 

Recipe Steps To make the bechamel sauce

  • Whisk Butter: In a saucepan melt the butter and add the flour.
  • With a whisk, whisk in the flour.
  • Keep whisking for about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add Ingredients: Add the milk, nutmeg and salt and whisk everything together.
  • Cook for another 5 minutes and whisk as necessary.
  • Let it cool.

Recipe Steps To make the Tiropita

  • Make Filling: To a large bowl, add the ricotta, feta cheese and bechamel sauce. Stir well. Add the eggs one at a time into the cheese mixture stirring well after each one.
  • Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Prep Phyllo and Pan: Generously brush melted butter on a 9×13-inch baking pan. Take out the phyllo sheets from the package and lay them flat on your work surface, then cover them with a clean damp kitchen towel, this will prevent the phyllo from drying out.
  • Assemble the Bottom: Place one sheet of phyllo at the bottom of the dish, then butter the top of the sheet. Place another sheet on top of it and brush the top again with butter. Repeat this until you have half of the phyllo sheets done, you can omit brushing butter over the top sheet.
  • Assemble the Top: Spread the cheese filling evenly over the buttered phyllo sheets. Layer with another phyllo sheet and butter it well. This sheet will be a bit more difficult to brush. Repeat this until you finished with all the sheets.
  • Finish the Pie: Butter the top phyllo sheet with butter as well. Cut the pie into segments. Its easier to do before its cooked.
  • Bake: Transfer the baking pan to the oven and bake for about 45 min or until golden brown.
  • Finish: Take a sharp knife and run it through the cut pie again, just to make sure we can easily take out each piece.
  • To reheat: place pie back in the oven at 400 degrees for ten minutes. This will crisp the phyllo again after it gets soggy in the fridge.