Corn and telemea appetizers

I have made these corn and telemea appetizers several times, especially when I have guests at the table or need something easy to transport. They are savory biscuits with cumin, filled with a cream of telemea, corn, and dehydrated tomatoes. It's nothing complicated, but you need to follow a few steps to get it right – especially with the dough.

Quick info

Total time: approx. 1 hour 30 min (including cooling)
Preparation time: 20-25 min
Baking time: 8-10 min/tray
Servings: 10-12 sandwich appetizers (depends on the size of the biscuits)
Difficulty: medium
Recipe type: savory appetizer, suitable for festive platters or snacks

Ingredients

Biscuits:
- 300 g wheat flour + 50 g for shaping
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 10 g salt
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 100 ml water
- 40 ml olive oil

Filling:
- 330 g unsalted cow telemea (well drained)
- 50 g sour cream
- 130 g sweet corn from a can (well drained)
- 2 pieces dehydrated tomatoes (finely chopped)

Preparation method

1. In a large bowl, place the flour, cumin seeds, and salt. Mix briefly.
2. Dissolve the baking soda in vinegar directly over the flour. Add the egg and water. Knead by hand or with a spatula until the mixture comes together.
3. Pour in the olive oil and continue kneading for a few minutes until the dough pulls away from the bowl. No need for a mixer; it goes quickly by hand.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You can leave it longer if you're not in a hurry.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the work surface with the remaining 50 g of flour. Remove the dough from the fridge, divide it into two pieces to make it easier to work with.
6. Roll out each piece of dough to a thickness of 0.5–1 cm with a rolling pin. Cut circles with a diameter of about 7 cm. You can use a wider glass if you don't have a special cutter.
7. Place the biscuits on a tray lined with baking paper. Don't place them too close together, although they don't rise much.
8. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Put the tray in the oven, then raise the temperature to 200°C and bake the biscuits for 8-10 minutes. Check after 8 minutes – they should take on a slight golden hue.
9. Remove them from the tray onto a rack or a clean cutting board and let them cool completely before filling.

Filling:
1. Place the telemea (well drained, so the cream doesn't become too soft) in a bowl. Add the sour cream and blend everything with an immersion blender until you get a homogeneous, slightly dense paste.
2. Chop the dehydrated tomatoes as finely as possible.
3. Incorporate the corn (well drained) and the dehydrated tomatoes into the telemea cream. Mix with a spoon without a mixer, so the ingredients don't get crushed.

Assembly:
1. Place a heaping teaspoon of filling on each biscuit.
2. Cover with another biscuit, pressing gently to stick. Be careful not to let the filling spill out the sides.
3. Place the assembled appetizers in a container and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. If you have time, 12 hours in the fridge helps the texture and flavor.

Why I make this recipe often

These appetizers can be prepared in advance, last for a few hours in the fridge, and you can vary the filling if you want. The biscuits stay crunchy, and the combination of telemea, corn, and tomatoes works well for quick snacks or platters for guests. I also like it because it doesn't require complicated ingredients.

Tips and variations

Tips
- The telemea should be quite dry. If it has a lot of whey, let it drain beforehand.
- Don't take the biscuits out of the oven too early – if they aren't baked well, they will soften quickly after filling.
- When rolling out, if the dough sticks, sprinkle more flour on the work surface.
- Don't layer warm biscuits with filling – let them cool completely, otherwise, they will soften from the cream.

Substitutions
- Cow telemea can be replaced with feta cheese, but reduce the amount of salt slightly.
- Cumin seeds can be omitted or replaced with ground cumin for a milder taste.
- Sour cream can be replaced with Greek yogurt, but the cream will be a little thinner.

Variations
- You can add finely chopped dill to the cream for flavor.
- For a different type of appetizer, just place the filling on top of each biscuit (like mini tartines).
- If you want, use the biscuits without filling as a savory snack.

Serving ideas
- They are good on a mixed platter alongside other cold appetizers.
- You can take them to a picnic or for a quick brunch.
- If there's leftover cream, use it as a dip with raw vegetables.

Frequently asked questions

1. Can the biscuits be made in advance and filled later?
Yes, plain biscuits last 2-3 days at room temperature in a sealed container. Fill them a few hours before serving.

2. What type of dehydrated tomatoes do you use?
I used sun-dried tomatoes from a package, not in oil. If you only have those in oil, wipe them well beforehand.

3. Can another cheese be used in the filling?
Yes, but choose a hard cheese, not a creamy one or one with too much whey. Feta or unsalted sheep telemea works best.

4. What do you do if the filling is too soft?
Add an extra spoonful of cheese or drain the telemea better. If it's too dense, add a little more sour cream.

5. How do you store the assembled appetizers?
Keep them in the fridge, in a sealed container. Don't keep them at room temperature, or the biscuits will soften too much.

Nutritional values (approximate)

For one sandwich (approx. 60 g):
Calories: 150–170 kcal
Protein: 6–8 g
Carbohydrates: 15–18 g
Fats: 7–9 g

Values depend on the type of cheese and sour cream used. Plain biscuits have little fat, but the filling adds more protein and salty flavor.

Storage and reheating

Unfilled biscuits can be stored for 2-3 days at room temperature in a sealed container. Assembled appetizers last up to 24 hours in the fridge, but the biscuits soften a little after the first day. They are not suitable for reheating, as they are not hot snacks.

If you want to plan ahead, make the biscuits a day in advance and fill them 2-3 hours before serving. The filling stays good in the fridge separately for up to 2 days, well covered.

 Ingredients: Biscuits: 300 g of wheat flour, 100 ml of water, 40 ml of olive oil, 1 egg, 10 g of salt, 2 tablespoons of cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, + 50 g of wheat flour for shaping. Filling: 330 g of unsalted cow cheese (well drained), 50 g of sour cream, 130 g of sweet corn Bonduelle (well drained), 2 pieces of dehydrated tomato.

 Tags:  appetizers