Some of you may have seen me make this in a video and heard me speak about my favourite made in two places in Crete, Kirkor at Lion Square and Ioardanis in Chania.
This is my version and short of having the fresh dairy they use in Crete, it is the closest thing you will get to in the UK at least and a real delight!
I use Amari savoury or sour mizithra to make mine which I buy at Odysea Limited. If you want the real thing, I am afraid that you need to source sour mizithra from Crete.
Ingredients (makes 4 portions)
- 8 sheets of filo pastry
- 25 g of butter
- 500g of sour mizithra cheese
- 250ml of milk
- 25g corn flour
- 1 tbsp of butter
- ground cinnamon and caster sugar for sprinkling
Method
Start by making a roux for the mizithra filling.
Mix the corn flour in a little cold milk. Bring the rest of the milk to the heat and add the cornflour mixture to it. Bring to a soft boil on a medium heat and using a whisk so as to avoid lumps, keep whisking to a smooth paste consistency. Add the butter and mix well. Let cool. Add the Myzithra cheese, mix and keep.
On a buttered tin, lay out one filo, brush with some melted butter and put the second filo sheet on it so that you have the shape of a cross. Spoon a quarter of the mizithra mixture in the middle of the cross and close up. Repeat with the other three filo sheets and the rest of the mizithra.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 for around 25 – 30 minutes till beautifully golden. Cut into small squares and sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon.