Σεσκουλοπρασόπιτα

Another day, another variant on χορτόπιτα and σπανακόπιτα. But this version is certainly not suitable for Lent due to the animal products.

Ingredients

Half bunch silverbeet

1 leek

2 spring onions

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp Sambal oelek

180 gr ricotta

80 gr fetta

18 gr dill

1 egg

Parmesan

Phyllo

Olive oil

Poppyseed

Mode

Preheat the oven to 180c
Roughly chop the silverbeet, discarding the thick stalks
Clean and slice the spring onions 
Place the vegetables in a steamer 
Peel and crush the garlic and add
Add Sambal oelek
Steam on the stovetop until soft, stirring occasionally
Meanwhile place the ricotta in a bowl
Crumble the fetta by hand on top
Add the egg and stir to combine

Chop the dill roughly, discarding thick stalks and add to cheese mixture

When the vegetables are cooked, add to the mixture and combine well
Using a pastry brush and olive oil line the bottom of a baking dish with about six layers of phyllo, taking care to oil well between each layer
Add the cheese and vegetable mixture to the phyllo
Fold the phyllo over the mixture and cover with several layers of phyllo brushing with oil between each layer
Fold in the edges and oil the top layer
Sprinkle with poppyseeds
With a sharp knife cut the top of the pie into desired portions. DO NOT cut through the bottom of the pie
Cook for 45 minutes in 180c oven until top is crisp and golden
Leave to rest for 2-3 minutes after cooking
Then with a sharp knife cut the portions through to the bottom of the pie.

Χορτόπιτα με φέτα

Καθαρά Δευτέρα and Orthodox Lent came with the kites, though limited in number by Covid. I saw feasts of Lenten foods prepared by Greek friends and suddenly I wanted χορτόπιτα! A trip to the greengrocer provided lots of choice: leeks, endive, chicory, dill, coriander. So I made a pie from leek, spring onions, endive and coriander, and at the last minute crumbled in a little feta. I am not sure about the quantities: I just squeezed a batch of greens into my steamer and had enough for a medium-sized pie dish with four serves. The pie was delicious. And soon I will make another with the chicory .

Ingredients

2 spring onions

1 leek

4 cloves garlic

Half a bunch of endive 

Bunch of coriander

80 gr fetta

Phyllo

Olive oil 

Poppyseed

Mode

Preheat the oven to 180c

Put the steamer on the stovetop to bring to boil

Slice the spring onions and leek

Roughly chop the endive and coriander

Add the greens to the top of the steamer

Crush the garlic and add to the greens

Steam until tender

Meanwhile place five sheets of phyllo in the baking dish, basting each sheet with olive oil

Spoon the vegetables on the phyllo and smooth

Crumble fetta over the vegetables

Fold the ends of pastry over the vegetables basting as you go

Cover top of pie with an extra sheet or two of phyllo basted with oil

Sprinkle poppyseed on top

With a sharp knife cut the top layers of pastry into serving pieces

Bake in 180c oven for 45 minutes.

Rainbow σεσκουλόπιτα

Μιαμ μιαμ! I haven't used rainbow silverbeet to make σεσκουλόπιτα before. However, when I saw it in the supermarket yesterday while shopping for food to cook for some friends who had been in an accident, I thought I would get it and experiment. It was delicious and I will use it was an ingredient again.  I haven't heard the verdict of my friends yet, but I enjoyed it.

With these ingredients you could make make one large pie.  I made a medium size and a small to accommodate for the two households.

Ingredients

1 bunch rainbow silverbeet (including stalks)

4 spring onions

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp Sambal oelek

3 tsp crushed ginger root

400 gr ricotta

150 gr fetta

1 egg

Phyllo pastry

Olive oil

Poppyseeds 

Mode

Place a steamer on the stove and bring water to the boil

Turn on oven to preheat to 180c

Meanwhile roughly chop the rainbow silverbeet including coloured stalks

Add to steamer

Chop spring onions and add to steamer

Crush garlic and add to steamer

Crush ginger root and add to steamer

Add Sambal oelek

Steam until vegetables tender

Meanwhile place ricotta in mixing bowl

Crumble fetta and add

Add egg

Add steamed vegetables

Stir to mix completely

Place one sheet of phyllo on the base of the oven dish

Baste with olive oil

Repeat the process 5-6 times

Spoon the mixture on the phyllo and smooth 

Fold the ends of pastry over the vegetables and cheese basting as you go

Cover top with an extra sheet or two of phyllo basted with oil

Sprinkle poppyseed on top

Cook in 180c oven for 45 minutes

Seskoulopitta/Σεσκουλόπιττα with ginger and black sesame

This is an old, old favourite just tweaked slightly to cater for the misery that is a headcold. Sometimes I include  the thick white stalks of the σέσκουλο/silverbeet.  Sometimes I don't.  This time I did. I normally include spring onions but this time I thought the silverbeet stalks would provide quite a bit of bulk, so I didn't use spring onions.  And the real difference? Well, I added lashings of fresh root ginger to help fight my cold.  And also because I love the taste of fresh ginger and I felt like some. What is there not to relish about this combination of so many of my favourite flavours!

Ingredients

1/2 bunch of silverbeet
375 gr ricotta
200gr fetta
2 handfuls grated Parmesan
1 egg
1/2 tsp Sambal oelek
2 garlic cloves
3 tsp fresh ginger
Phyllo pastry
Olive oil
Black sesame seeds

Mode

Preheat the oven to 180c
Roughly chop the silverbeet, including the thick white stalks
Place the silverbeet in a steamer
Peel and crush the garlic and add
Add Sambal oelek
Chop and crush the ginger root and add
Steam on the stovetop until soft stirring occasionally
Meanwhile place the ricotta in a bowl
Crumble the fetta by hand on top and add a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan (or to taste)
Add the egg and stir to combine
When the vegetables are cooked add to the mixture and combine well
Using a pastry brush and olive oil line the bottom of a baking dish with about six layers of phyllo taking care to oil well between each layer
Add the cheese and vegetable mixture to the phyllo
Fold the phyllo over the mixture and cover with several layers of phyllo brushing with oil between each layer
Fold in the edges and oil the top layer
Sprinkle with black sesame seeds
With a sharp knife cut the top of the pie into desired portions. DO NOT cut through the bottom of the pie
Cook for 45 minutes in 180c oven until top is crisp and golden
Leave to rest for 2-3 minutes after cooking
Then with a sharp knife cut the portions through to the bottom of the pie
Serve with salad or vegetables..

Πρασινόπιττα/Prasinopitta

This is for you, Roza! I was planning to cook seskoulopitta yesterday when I had a conversation with my teacher, Roza, about how much meat we ate (or didn't eat).  This conversation, as well as reading regular descriptions from Giannis Makridakis about morning gathering of greens, reminded me of a hortopitta that I used to cook years ago and inspired this recipe. I can't remember exactly what I cooked in that pie but maybe it didn't matter: just lots of greens. As it was a Lenten dish, the filling was only greens.



This time I decided to try a combination of the two dishes.  This meant I included the egg and cheese from the seskoulopitta but also a variety of greens. I am on purpose fairly vague about the measurements for the greens: just do what is good for you. You might like silverbeet with just a hint of endive, or to make it the other way around with a predominant endive flavour. It's your choice. Or add what you pick in your morning gathering of greens for the day, if you are a Makridakis follower. I used Sambal oelek as I like cooking with it, but you could just add some finely chopped hot chilli instead. Maybe half a chilli? Or depending on your taste.

For all I know, Greek women have been cooking something like this for centuries. Nothing is new. But it was what I felt like cooking and eating yesterday and it was inspired by that conversation with Roza.



Ingredients

1/2 bunch of silverbeet
1 bunch of young endive
1 bunch dill
3 spring onions
375 gr ricotta
200gr fetta
1 egg
1/2 tsp Sambal oelek
3 garlic cloves
Phyllo pastry
Olive oil
Black sesame seeds



Mode

Preheat the oven to 180c
Roughly chop the silverbeet, discarding the thick stalks
Roughly chop the endive, discarding the base of the bunch.
Chopp the dill roughly, discarding thick stalks
Clean and slice the spring onions
Place the vegetables in a steamer
Peel and crush the garlic and add
Add Sambal oelek
Steam on the stovetop until soft, stirring occasionally
Meanwhile place the ricotta in a bowl
Crumble the fetta by hand on top
Add the egg and stir to combine
When the vegetables are cooked, add to the mixture and combine well
Using a pastry brush and olive oil line the bottom of a baking dish with about six layers of phyllo, taking care to oil well between each layer
Add the cheese and vegetable mixture to the phyllo
Fold the phyllo over the mixture and cover with several layers of phyllo brushing with oil between each layer
Fold in the edges and oil the top layer
Sprinkle with black sesame seeds
With a sharp knife cut the top of the pie into desired portions. DO NOT cut through the bottom of the pie
Cook for 45 minutes in 180c oven until top is crisp and golden
Leave to rest for 2-3 minutes after cooking
Then with a sharp knife cut the portions through to the bottom of the pie.



.

Σεσκουλόπιττα with black sesame

 

Once upon a time when my gardening skills were put to use, I loved having silverbeet/σεσκούλο growing in the garden so that I could pick a few stalks any time I felt like cooking it.  Nowadays I don't grow it but that doesn't mean that I don't eat it. I am amazed that I haven't blogged this recipe before as it is a firm favourite. It is essentially a variant of my spanakopitta recipe and uses silverbeet instead of spinach. I find the silverbeet makes a lighter texture than spinach, though I love them both.  I usually sprinkle it with sesame or poppy seeds, but this time for a change I used black sesame seeds for a slightly different taste.

Ingredients


1/2 bunch of silverbeet
3 spring onions
375 gr ricotta
200gr fetta
2 handfuls Parmesan
1 egg
1/2 tsp Sambal oelek
2 garlic clove
Phyllo pastry
Olive oil
Black sesame seeds

Mode

Preheat the oven to 180c
Roughly chop the silverbeet, discarding the thick stalks
Clean and slice the spring onions
Place the vegetables in a steamer
Peel and crush the garlic and add
Add Sambal oelek
Steam on the stovetop until soft stirring occasionally
Meanwhile place the ricotta in a bowl
Crumble the fetta by hand on top and add a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan (or to taste)
Add the egg and stir to combine
When the vegetables are cooked add to the mixture and combine well
Using a pastry brush and olive oil line the bottom of a baking dish with about six layers of phyllo taking care to oil well between each layer
Add the cheese and vegetable mixture to the phyllo
Fold the phyllo over the mixture and cover with several layers of phyllo brushing with oil between each layer
Fold in the edges and oil the top layer
Sprinkle with black sesame seeds
With a sharp knife cut the top of the pie into desired portions. DO NOT cut through the bottom of the pie
Cook for 45 minutes in 180c oven until top is crisp and golden
Leave to rest for 2-3 minutes after cooking
Then with a sharp knife cut the portions through to the bottom of the pie
Serve with salad.

Leek Pie Πρασόπιττα

I am just emerging from the fog of the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) where I have been living in many places and times. In an attempt to keep up some Greek reading during MIFF I was reduced to reading some Greek readers in simple Greek that did not require me to be surrounded by dictionaries to get a sense of what I was trying to read. They were good for the train and between films to get a quick Greek fix. But it is certainly true that for me the struggle is usually more worthwhile, and that I prefer struggling with Kavafy and Seferis to reading easy readers.

But there was, indeed, a good thing to come out of this experience. One of the readers featured a couple of recipes and one of them was a leek and cheese pie. This recipe is very different from the one in the reader.  But it made me think of cooking a leek pie as I happened to have some leeks that I had bought for another purpose. And I had ricotta and all the other ingredients.  My leek pie was absolutely delicious!  I made it up as a pie, but you could use the filling for small triangles as well.

 


Ingredients

2 leeks
375 gr ricotta
200gr fetta
2 handfuls Parmesan
1 egg
1/2 tsp Sambal oelek
2 garlic clove
Phyllo pastry
Olive oil
Poppy seeds

Mode

Preheat the oven to 180c
Clean the leeks and slice finely
Peel and crush the garlic
Add Sambal oelek
Place some oil in a frying pan and add leeks, garlic and Sambal oelek
Cook until soft stirring constantly
Meanwhile place the ricotta in a bowl
Crumble the fetta by hand on top and add a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan (or to taste)
Add the egg and stir to combine
When the vegetables are cooked add to the mixture and combine well
Using a pastry brush and olive oil line the bottom of a baking dish with about six layers of phyllo taking care to oil well between each layer
Add the cheese and leek mixture to the phyllo
Fold the phyllo over the mixture and cover with several layers of phyllo brushing with oil between each layer
Fold in the edges and oil the top layer
Sprinkle with poppy seeds
With a sharp knife cut the top of the pie into desired portions. DO NOT cut hrough the bottom of the pie
Cook for 45 minutes in 180c oven until top is crisp and golden
Leave to rest for 2-3 minutes after cooking
Then with a sharp knife cut the portions through to the bottom of the pie
Serve with salad.

Lebanese Lamb and Pinenut Phyllo Pie

I have been having a bit of a burst of Lebanese food in the last week with dinners at Zum zum in North Carlton and Rumi in East Brunswick. Not surprisingly I ended up getting out my best Lebanese cookbook, The Lebanese Kitchen by Abla Amad. Abla's Restaurant in Carlton has to be one of my all time favourite restaurants in Melbourne. It's small and in a terrace in Carlton. Abla is always there presiding over her kitchen and welcomes everyone as to her home. It's Lebanese family cooking and I have adored it for years, or is it decades? Abla opened it in 1979 so that looks like decades to me.

At Zum zum, I had had some scrumptious dishes and one of them was a bigger version of ladies fingers, a delectable dish of phyllo filled with lamb, onion and pine-nuts. Normally these are literally finger or cigar size, but at Zum zum they were larger and had dribbled pomegranate molasses on the top (I think). At Rumi we had delicious cigar pastries filled with cheese. I wanted to make something like this!

Abla had a recipe for ladies fingers: she said she made them more here in Melbourne where fresh phyllo is always available than in Lebanon. Fresh phyllo is indeed something I always have. So I was ready to try it. I had most of the ingredients and stocked up on lamb mince at my local treasure house, Piedimonte's. Unfortunately they let me down in the sumac line. I simply couldn't get it. Sumac is a red-coloured spice from the berries of the sumac bush and its flavour adds a sharp fruity taste similar to lemon: the illustration here is from Wikipedia. Pomegranate molasses is also on my shopping list but I found a source for that today from a friend who dropped by! How lucky am I in my friends! Thanks, Pamela!

I will pursue the procurement of this but at present I decided to substitute lemon/lime juice and zest for the sumac and increase the other spices. We'll see how it goes! I also decided that, rather than doing umpteen ladies fingers, I would use the filling to make a phyllo pie which would be a main course rather than mezza.


Lebanese Lamb & Pine-nut Phyllo Pie (after Abla Amad, Abla's kitchen)

Ingredients:
450 gr. lamb mince
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 onions, chopped
1 teaspoon cummin seeds
1 teaspoon allspice
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Juice of half a lemon
Teaspoon lemon zest finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Olive oil
7-8 sheets phyllo pastry
Sesame seeds

Method:
Preheat oven to 180c, 160 c if fan-forced.
In a pan, cook pine nuts in olive oil until golden.
Drain on kitchen paper.
Place lamb mince in pan and heat gently allowing it to cook in its own juices while stirring constantly.
Add onion, spices, lemon and lime zest and juice.
When onion turns transparent, add pine nuts and remove from heat.
Place phyllo on tea-towel to work from, and add sheets to pan, basting with olive oil as you go.
Add approximately six sheets to the pan.
Pour in filling.
Fold over phyllo, basting with oil.
Add top sheet of phyllo to beautify and baste with olive oil.
Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Cut into required pieces through upper layer, taking care not to cut right through the pie.
Cook in the middle of a moderate oven for about 45 minutes.
Serve with vegetables or salad for a main course.
Well, all I can say is that it's just yummy! The combination of the crisp phyllo and the lamb inside is just delicious! I have found it delicious in ladies' fingers but it is great in a pie too. I really like the taste of the lemon/lime too! Once I get some sumac I'll try it that way, but at present I am very happy with the outcome.