Turkish Feta Rolls

My love for food started in Turkey where I stayed 27 years ago with a friend and her family. Cooking and eating was a big part of their daily routine. Families and friends gathered around a big table and the cooking was an affair of love and labour in equal measures but you never cooked alone - there were always people around and cooking was just part of the chatting and gossipping...

One of the things we cooked almost daily were the feta rolls (ok, we made them into long loafs rather than rolls but I like the rolls better). They can be filled with almost any filling - feta and parsley being my favourite but you could use a lean mince and fry it with onions and garlic and herbs, or what ever your choice it. Feta and parsley is just a classic and why mess with a classic. A small tip - bake them over a low heat as the dough cooks slowly. Baking it on a high heat would mean that the inner part of the dough isn't cooked through. These rolls are great eaten warm but are also ok cold and are a perfect item for a party or BBQ. The size of the rolls is really up to you so you can make anything of 15 - 25 rolls from the dough.

You will need:

• 500g plain flour
• 125g butter
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1 egg
• 1/4tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 250g feta
• fresh parsley, chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 180C

Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the yogurt, oil, egg, baking powder and salt and knead the dough to a smooth dough (try not to overwork it)

Crumble the feta into a bowl and mix with the chopped parsley. Divide the dough into equal parts (how many depends on how big or small you want them to be) and press the dough into rounds. Spoon a teaspoon full of feta into each round and close the dough into a roll. Repeat with the rest.

Place the rolls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 20 - 30 mins until golden brown and cooked through.

Bon Appetit