The first time I ate this dish was at a beautiful hotel on the beach in Kefalonia. I was so taken by the simplicity of it, but also inwardly angry at myself – number one fan of all things feta – that I hadn’t thought of this combination myself. The only thing I have done differently from the hotel’s version is to cut the feta block into four pieces rather than keeping it whole, so there is more pastry to enjoy. Either way, you’ll be glad you made this, and if I could give you a piece of advice, keep some extra blocks of feta handy because you might want to use the rest of the filo pastry pack to make more of these gorgeous parcels.
Serves: 2
Photography: Kris Kirkham
Ingredients
vegetable oil, for frying
200g block of feta cheese, cut into quarters
1 sheet of filo pastry (about 480 x 250mm), cut into quarters
2 heaped tablespoons clear honey
Method
-
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, pour in about 1cm vegetable oil and bring to frying temperature (the oil must not be too hot: add a little piece of filo pastry – if it bubbles gently the oil is hot enough, if it sizzles aggressively the oil is too hot).
-
Line a plate with a double layer of kitchen paper.
-
Wrap each rectangle of feta in a piece of filo and use a little oil or water to seal the seam on the underside. Gently lay the parcels in the hot oil, seam-side down, and fry them for a couple of minutes until you see the pastry on the underside turn golden and bubble up a little. Then very carefully turn the parcels over and fry the other side until crisp and golden brown.
-
Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to the paper-lined plate to drain, then serve on a plate drizzled with the honey.
Read more: Persiana Everyday
Persiana Everyday is Sabrina Ghayour’s latest cookbook, sharing simple, flavourful dishes inspired by her Iranian heritage. The recipes are comforting, warming and nourishing – exactly what you want to eat whether it’s mid week or for an occasion. The book is full of generous, inviting and delicious recipes to cook again and again for family and friends, and we can’t recommend it enough. Persiana Everyday by Sabrina Ghayour is published by Aster (£26), photography by Kris Kirkham.
— about the author
