Cretan Sweet Cheese Mini Pies/ Kalitsounia-DIY

Cretan Sweet Cheese Mini Pies/ Kalitsounia-DIY
Doing these Cretan Sweet Cheese Mini Pies today I recalled in my memory stories of my childhood. I remembered our grandmother doing these in her Kitchen. Cheese Pies are made with a thin sheet of dough filled with cheese (traditionally filled with myzithra or anthotyro), and then fried. They become light and fluffy like a soft pillow!
Classic, traditional and popular sweet mizithropitakia, popular delicacy for rural but also urban Crete, which the housewives made and make in many aspects of social life, and especially in the Easter celebrations with the Cretan Cheese Pies savory and sweet.
A simple dough rolled out in a phyllo machine -for an easier process- fresh local mizithra cheese and served with thyme honey or powdered sugar and cinnamon.
Yours!

work: 1h:30′ time: 2h:00′ medium:

Cretan Sweet Cheese Mini Pies/ Kalitsounia-DIY Cretan Sweet Cheese Mini Pies/ Kalitsounia-DIY

Ingredients (~50 mini sweet pies)

  • 500g (1.1 lbs) flour
  • 200g (7.1 oz) lukewarm milk
  • 1 shot olive oil
  • 1 shot raki
  • ½ tsp salt
  • a little flour for rolling out the sheet
In a bowl sift the flour and add salt, oil, raki and a little of the milk, which will be added gradually as needed to make a soft dough.
Knead and form a small roll. Wrap with cling film and leave it aside for 30′.

Filling

  • 500g (1.1 lbs) ricotta
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • vegetable oil for frying
In a bowl crumble the cheese and add the egg, honey, salt and cinnamon. Mix well to combine the ingredients.
Get from the dough a piece as a tangerine, sprinkle lightly with flour and roll out the phillo by the machine or with a rolling pin.
Pass it of the dough machine several times, folding each time and reducing the thickness by the machine controller to get it out thin and flat.
Place the edge of the phillo along and spaced a filling teaspoon.
Turn the phillo to cover up the filling…
… and cut crescents, using for dought cutter a glass of wine.
Place it on a non-stick surface and continue with the next piece of dough.
Fry from both sides in small quantities. Touch them on kitchen paper to drain the excess oil. Sprinkle powdered sugar and cinnamon or with honey.
Cretan Sweet Cheese Mini Pies/ Kalitsounia-DIY Cretan Sweet Cheese Mini Pies/ Kalitsounia-DIY
The Mizithra (or Ricotta cheese) should be very well drained. Wrap from the night before, with paper towels and a sheet of newspaper and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
Cretan Sweet Cheese Mini Pies/ Kalitsounia-DIY Cretan Sweet Cheese Mini Pies/ Kalitsounia-DIY Cretan Sweet Cheese Mini Pies/ Kalitsounia-DIY

Author Zambia G. Sifaki