Tirokafteri Recipe; Make Feta Cheese Dip at Home

If you’re looking for a delicious, easy-to-make appetizer, look no further than Tirokafteri! This traditional Greek recipe dates back centuries and is one of the most popular dishes in the country. It’s made with feta cheese, hot red pepper, Greek yogurt, and vinegar and can be served as an appetizer or side dish. This article from Cooking County will look at how to make Tirokafteri from scratch using fresh ingredients.

The Tirokafteri or Htipiti in Greece comes in many variations. It is so loved as an appetizer that every restaurant, and every home, can present its cheese-based dish, adapted to the particular tastes of each one.

Try other dishes with cheese:

• Túrós Csusza Recipe; Hungarian Cottage Cheese Pasta
• Khachapuri Recipe; Make Tasty Georgian Cheese Bread

Why is Tirokafteri Popular?

Apart from the large amount of cheese it contains (and for this reason, we must consume it wisely), the hot pepper gives it the greatest nutritional value. The reason is the large amount of vitamin C it contains. This applies if we make it hot, i.e. add several hot peppers. Only in this way can we consider that we have received a certain amount of vitamin C.

How to Make Tirokafteri?

Ingredients

• 350 grams of feta cheese
• 3 hot red peppers 
• 2 tablespoons yogurt 
• 1 tablespoon vinegar 
• olive oil as needed
• 1 teaspoon bukovo

Directions

Step One

To make Tirokafteri, wash the peppers and bake them in the oven at 180 °C for 5 minutes.

Note: If you can not bake them in the oven, wrap them in aluminum foil and bake them in the toaster. 

Step Two

Peel them and carefully remove the spores from the inside. Beat the peppers, olive oil, and vinegar in a blender until pureed. 

Step Three

Add the feta cheese, yogurt, and bukovo. Continue beating for 1-2 minutes. Transfer the cheesecake to a bowl, cover it with cling film and leave for 1 hour in the fridge before serving.

How to Serve Tirokafteri?

In addition to being a delicious meze, cheese curds can also be used to flavor various recipes. Feel free to add it to toast and sandwiches, soups (instead of yogurt), salads, pasta, and rice on top of your burger. The only limit is your imagination.

Do not forget to make this recipe and share it with us. If you also have any related questions about the Tirokafteri recipe, please do not hesitate to ask.

Tips to Make Tirokafteri

• Add a little yogurt or some soft cheese if the feta is hard or you don’t want to melt it in the microwave.
• You can also add half a teaspoon of smoked paprika. 
• You can alternatively use green hot pepper.
• You can keep Tirokafteri in the fridge for a few days. 
• Take it out of the fridge half an hour before serving.
• For most, Tirokafteri ideally accompanies wine, tsipouro, and ouzo, on thinly sliced ​​bread or as a dip, with cucumber, carrot, celery, and other vegetables.
• For the hot cheese, we can use any hot pepper: red chilies, small green jalapenos or light green, long and thin hot peppers. 
• The color of the cheese will be similar – pink if we put red ones or light green if we put green ones. 
• We increase and decrease the amount of hot pepper depending on how spicy we want to make the Tirokafteri. 
• We can, moreover, regulate their bitterness by throwing away their spores since they are responsible for a large part of the burning sensation in the mouth. 
• An alternative is to use hot bukovo, paprika, or even tabasco instead of peppers. 
• We adjust the ratio according to our taste and our heat resistance.

FAQs about Tirokafteri

• How long does Tirokafteri take to get ready?

Assuming you are making Tirokafteri from scratch, it will take approximately 1 hour to make this dish.

• What ingredients do I need to make this dish?

It is made with feta cheese, hot red pepper, yogurt, vinegar, and olive oil.

• Is Tirokafteri healthy?

While it’s delicious and easy to make, some may wonder if it’s healthy. The answer is yes! Tirokafteri is packed with protein that helps keep our bones strong and muscles healthy. The combination of feta cheese and chili peppers provide vitamins and minerals like vitamin B6 which helps regulate blood sugar levels.