Banitsa

Ingredients

• 450 g thin filo pastry, about 12 sheets
• 400 g sirene or feta, crumbled
• 100 g kashkaval or mild hard cheese, grated
• 4 large eggs
• 300 g thick natural yogurt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 150 g butter, melted
• 60 ml sunflower oil
• Black pepper
• 1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tbsp yogurt, for glazing

Before you cook

• Bring the filo to room temperature in its wrapping
• Crumble the sirene and grate the kashkaval
• Melt the butter and stir the sunflower oil into it
• Butter a 28 centimetre round baking dish

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until frothy.
3. Whisk in the yogurt and the baking powder until smooth.
4. Fold in the crumbled sirene, the grated kashkaval and a good grind of black pepper.
5. Lay one sheet of filo on the worktop with a long edge facing you.
6. Brush the sheet lightly with the butter and oil mixture.
7. Spoon a line of filling along the long edge nearest you, about two fingers in from the edge.
8. Roll the sheet away from you into a loose rope, keeping it slack rather than tight so the filling has room.
9. Curl the rope into a spiral and set it in the centre of the buttered dish.
10. Fill and roll the next sheet the same way, then coil it around the first one.
11. Carry on with the remaining sheets, working outwards, until the dish is filled with one continuous spiral.
12. Brush the whole surface with the remaining butter and oil.
13. Brush the glaze of egg yolk and yogurt over the top.
14. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until deep golden brown and firm in the centre.
15. Sprinkle a tablespoon of cold water over the hot pie and cover it with a tea towel for 10 minutes to soften the crust.
16. Cut the spiral into wedges and serve warm with more yogurt or ayran.