Virginia's Greek Tyropita

The most delicious version I have ever eaten - this even beat the version I ate while in Greece. I attended a Greek festival at St Barbara Greek Orthodox Church in Orange CT, and the lady who prepared this dish was kind enough to share the recipe on the spot. She has made it so many times, she knows it by memory. She said that salt is not needed as the feta is already salty enough. NOTE: It is very important to use the correct size pan as specified in the instructions. Using a 9x13 pan will not produce the correct result.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 32  ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 32  ounces cottage cheese, drained
• 1  cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 8  large eggs, lightly beaten
•  ground black pepper, to taste
• 16  ounces  prepared raw phyllo pastry (#4 thickness)
• 1⁄4 cup butter, melted (or as needed)
•  water, as needed to spritz pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Combine cheeses, eggs,and season to taste with about 1 tsp of pepper, mixing well to combine.
3. Lightly butter a large jelly roll pan or rectangular pan with low sides (about 11" x 14") and place a sheet or two of phyllo pastry to cover the pan.
4. Brush lightly again with butter, then repeat until you have 10 layers (go easy on the butter).
5. Spread filling evenly in pan.
6. Top with another 10 layers of phyllo, tucking in and folding the corners, buttering each layer as before.
7. Using a clean spray bottle filled with some cold water, gently mist the entire surface (this will produce a crispy top layer).
8. Cut into 24 squares, then pop into the preheated oven and bake about 1 hour.