Three Greek pie recipes in one: Spanakopita and two kinds of kolokythopita.

Ingredients#

Fyllo, village-style#

This is a bit thicker than the fyllo pastry, but also easier to make.

  • 4 cups all-purpose OR 2.5 cups all-purpose 1.5 cup wholemeal flour
  • 1/2 cup olive oil, or 8 tbsp
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • About 1 cup tepid water

Filling#

Common#

  • 2/2.5 cups of kefalotyri (a kind of salty, dry cheese). Alternatively parmesan or similar could work.
  • 1.5 cups of feta cheese. Try barrel-aged if possible.
  • 2 large or 3 medium eggs.
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

zucchini pie#

  • 7 cups of diced zucchini
  • 1/2 cups of rice (optional)
  • 1 cup diced onion

winter-squash pie#

Same as zucchini. You can substitute rice with ksynochondro (a kind of sour trachana).

Spinach pie (Spanakopita)#

  • 7 cups of chopped spinach, but can taste much better if combined with fresh herbs like fennel or anise, and the harder-to-find chervil, and this wild herb
  • 1 cup diced onion, or green onions

Directions#

Fills a no. 36 round baking tray.

Prepare all filling ingredients and set aside. After finely cutting the main veggie ingredients, one of spinach/zucchini/squash, salt lightly and let dry out for a bit. Alternatively, you can spread them in a baking plate and put them in an oven set to a really mild temperature for a bit.

work the fyllo ingredients into a dough. Pour the water slowly, it might need less than a cup. Split into two balls. Set aside to rest in a bowl wrapped with a cooking membrane. Start preheating the oven at 180 degrees.

In the mean time, start preparing the filling. Essentially mix all ingredients together in a bowl and add pepper to taste. If you used salty cheese, salt is probably taken care of, but add some if you feel it's missing.

Roll the first ball of dough into a thin fyllo. Place at the bottom of a lightly oiled baking tray. make sure there is a bit of surplus fyllo at the edges.

Spread the filling evenly over the fyllo.

Then roll the other ball into one and place it on top of the filling. Squeeze the bottom and top fyllo at the edges so they become one. Optionally, poke the top with a knife in several places. lightly oil the top.

Bake at about 180 celcius for about 1 to 1.5 hours. You can tell it's ready if the fyllo becomes a bit hard and a bit browner in places.