Homemade Pastry Half-Moon Pies with Spicy Cheese and Peas Filling

Homemade pastry half-moon pies with spicy cheese and peas filling

A tasty pastry, a very interesting spicy filling and these small pies can become one of your favourite savoury treats! Ideal to pack for a picnic, as a snack, a light meal along with a salad or served as a first dish or at a buffet dinner they will satisfy yours and your guests' appetite to the full! The recipe for the dough is not only good for these pies but for various similar recipes

Recipe from "Cook Book" magazine of "ETHNOS" newspaper



Ingredients (for 8 people)

For the pastry:
250gr. of all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. of malt vinegar
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of granulated sugar
2 tbsp. of olive oil
1 tsp of baking powder
water (as needed)

For the filling:
120 gr. of feta cheese, crumbled
50 gr. of fine peas, blanched
1 tbsp. of fresh spearmint, finely chopped (or 1 heaped tsp of dried)

1/2 a hot chilli pepper, seedless and finely chopped (or 1/4 tsp of hot red pepper)
1-2 tbsp. of single cream
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frying oil

Method:
Put all the pastry ingredients into a large bowl and knead with your hands until you have a smooth and pliable dough. Gather into a ball and leave aside to rest for 30 minutes.

Put all the filling ingredients into another bowl and mix thoroughly with a spoon to blend.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large thin phyllo sheet. Cut out discs of 10cm diameter.

Place 1 tbsp. of the filling on the centre of each disc and carefully fold into a half-moon pie. Press the edges so to stick together.

Warm plenty of oil in a spacious non-stick frying pan on medium heat. When it is well hot, fry the pies in batches,frequently turning, until they are nicely golden on both sides.

Transfer with a slotted spoon on kitchen paper to drain the excess oil before serving.

They can be eaten while still hot, at room temperature or even cold.

Amateur Cook Professional Eater