Phyllo Triangles With Squash and Mint

Phyllo Triangles With Squash and Mint
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
2½ hours
Rating
4(74)
Notes
Read community notes

When you make these baked Greek phyllo bites, you have to take care that the pastry does not dry out, which will cause it to crack when you fold the triangles. Keep the sheets and strips you are not working with covered with a damp towel to avoid this. If you do have a problem with cracking, wrap each triangle in another strip of phyllo.

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Ingredients

Yield:50 triangles
  • 1small butternut squash, about 1¼ pounds, peeled, halved, seeds and membranes removed, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 5tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1bunch scallions, white and light green parts, chopped
  • 1large garlic clove, minced
  • 1egg
  • 3ounces feta, crumbled (about ¾ cup)
  • 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint or 1 teaspoon dried mint
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½pound phyllo dough (store-bought is fine)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (50 servings)

42 calories; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 54 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Toss squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until the squash is tender and easily pierced with a knife. Allow squash to cool slightly, then mash with a fork or in a food processor.

  2. Step 2

    Lower oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet and add scallions. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add to squash and stir together.

  3. Step 3

    Beat egg in a medium bowl. Add the squash, cheese, mint and salt and pepper. Set aside.

  4. Step 4

    Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Melt butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a microwave at 50 percent power, or in a small saucepan.

  5. Step 5

    Take 1 sheet of phyllo dough at a time and lay it horizontally on your work surface. Cut 2½-inch-wide strips. (You should be able to cut about 6 strips per sheet.) Cover the strips you aren’t working with, and the rest of the phyllo, with a damp towel. Brush a strip with the butter-olive oil mixture.

  6. Step 6

    Place a teaspoonful of filling on the strip, about an inch down from the end. Lift a corner of the pastry and fold over filling diagonally until shorter edge of the strip meets the longer edge. Fold triangle of covered filling down toward you, and continue folding over and down at right angles, until you reach the end of the strip. If the phyllo cracks, or if you simply want a thicker wrapper, double wrap the triangle in a second strip.

  7. Step 7

    Brush with more melted butter and olive oil to seal the end, and place on baking sheet. Continue making filled triangles in this way.

  8. Step 8

    Before baking, brush triangles with oil and butter. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot.

Tip
  • The assembled pastries can be covered tightly with plastic and refrigerated overnight, or frozen for several weeks. To freeze, lay about 1 dozen pastries on a large sheet of plastic wrap in a single layer and wrap tightly. Wrap the plastic packets in foil and then place in a freezer bag. Unwrap and transfer directly from the freezer to parchment-covered baking sheets, brush with butter and olive oil and bake without thawing first. Add 5 minutes to the baking time.

Ratings

4 out of 5
74 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

The fascinating thing about cooking is how it evolves and changes like all art forms. "Riffing" on a recipe is like riffing on a classic tune. This looks delicious and it does have cheese in it (feta). I pretty sure that Greek food, like all cuisine, took influences from many places. Relax, expand your repertoire and horizons! And enjoy.

very yummy! 3 pieces of advice:

1.you don't want the filling to be to soggy, so once you've mashed the pumpkin, put in a sieve and let it drip and dry out a bit.
2. bake them on a grill rack in the oven instead of an oven tray, this way the bottom of the triangle will be as crispy as the top.
3. search youtube for advice on how to fold the filo dough, there's some good videos.

I don't see where they were called Tiropitas other than the four times you put that name to this recipe?

Butternut squash in tiropitas? You have got to be kidding! I'm Greek and have never met a Greek who puts squash in tiropitas! This is certainly not a traditional Greek recipe for tiropitas, but if you want to consider it nouveau-Greek, go for it. You can actually put any number of fillings in phyllo triangles (or phyllo in general). Just don't call it tiropita! ("Tiropita" means "cheese pie," by the way)

I don't see that anybody called it "tiropita". But I don't see why someone shouldn't. We still call a pizza a pizza even if it's topped with pineapple and ham, or with Buffalo chicken and blue cheese, no?

Does anyone know what size egg?

Beautiful flavors !! Kids love them!! I baked the leftover filling in a small oven dish with a lid and enjoyed eating it with a spoon along with the burekas/tiropitas.

Can you bake these a few days ahead and reheat?

very yummy! 3 pieces of advice:

1.you don't want the filling to be to soggy, so once you've mashed the pumpkin, put in a sieve and let it drip and dry out a bit.
2. bake them on a grill rack in the oven instead of an oven tray, this way the bottom of the triangle will be as crispy as the top.
3. search youtube for advice on how to fold the filo dough, there's some good videos.

Maybe not a traditional Greek tiropita, but a delicious and special hors d'oeuvre!

I brought these, and another version stuffed with three cheeses, to a holiday party and they were a huge hit. It did take some time, but was well worth it in the end.

Butternut squash in tiropitas? You have got to be kidding! I'm Greek and have never met a Greek who puts squash in tiropitas! This is certainly not a traditional Greek recipe for tiropitas, but if you want to consider it nouveau-Greek, go for it. You can actually put any number of fillings in phyllo triangles (or phyllo in general). Just don't call it tiropita! ("Tiropita" means "cheese pie," by the way)

The fascinating thing about cooking is how it evolves and changes like all art forms. "Riffing" on a recipe is like riffing on a classic tune. This looks delicious and it does have cheese in it (feta). I pretty sure that Greek food, like all cuisine, took influences from many places. Relax, expand your repertoire and horizons! And enjoy.

I don't see where they were called Tiropitas other than the four times you put that name to this recipe?

I don't see that anybody called it "tiropita". But I don't see why someone shouldn't. We still call a pizza a pizza even if it's topped with pineapple and ham, or with Buffalo chicken and blue cheese, no?

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