Baked Feta Cheese Parcels
Crispy, sweet, salty, and entirely irresistible, these are baked until soft inside and crunchy on the outside. One bite, and you'll see why this classic taste is featured on the menu of almost every Greek taverna. Sometimes I sprinkle a little chile inside for a burst of flavor and serve them scattered with crushed toasted pistachios.
Servings: 4 parcels
Ingredients
- 4 sheets phyllo pastry
- 1/2 cup olive oil for brushing
- 12 ounces feta cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon red hot chile flakes (optional)
- 4 teaspoons thyme-infused honey See Recipe
- 2 teaspoons toasted crushed pistachios
Instructions
- Lay the 4 sheets of phyllo on a clean work surface and quickly brush each sheet lightly with olive oil. (Make sure you have covered the whole sheet with the oil to the edges.)
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Separate the feta into 4 (3-ounce) pieces. Ideally you want the cheese to be in the shape of a rectangle about 3 x 4 inches, so you can fold the phyllo over it easily. Place the feta on the bottom of the phyllo sheet, sprinkle with chile flakes, then fold the sides over, and then fold the sheet up and over the cheese, turning upward until you have reached the end of the phyllo. Brush the outside lightly with more olive oil and place with seam side down on the bottom on an oiled sheet pan.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes in the center of the oven, until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, place on a serving platter, then drizzle with honey and sprinkle with crushed pistachios over the top.
Notes
Chef's Note: Served with a salad, these make a superb starter or–though they'd need a bit of extra time to prepare–these tempting parcels can be made into smaller pieces in quarter-sheets of phyllo to create bite-size appetizers.
