Greek Travelling Pie Food

10 TYPES OF GREEK PIES

Steps:

• Select your favorite recipe.
• Organize all the required ingredients.
• Prep a Greek pie in 30 minutes or less!

KREATOPITA (GREEK MEAT PIE USING PHYLLO PASTRY)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, coat bottom of pan with olive oil and add ground beef (and mushrooms, if using). Cook, breaking up meat with back of spoon, and stirring often until meat and mushrooms are browned and liquid emitted has evaporated (make sure all the liquid has evaporated - you don't want a soggy pita!).
• Add onions, garlic, tomato paste, oregano and cinnamon and cook until liquid emitted from onions has evaporated, too.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times to bring hot filling up (to cool faster).
• Add cheese, parsley and eggs to meat filling and combine thoroughly to blend. Taste filling and adjust seasoning to suit your taste.
• In a 15 x 10 inch pan (or large pan), layer half the phyllo sheets, brushing each one generously with olive oil (use a pastry brush), before adding the next sheet of pastry.
• Pour the meat filling into the phyllo-lined pan.
• Layer the remaining phyllo sheets in the same way, over the filling, brushing each one generously with olive oil before adding the next sheet of pastry. When you reach the last sheet (the top one), brush this one slightly more generously than the rest, tuck in any overhang you have neatly into the pie and score pie, lengthwise, into 4, using the tip of a small, sharp knife and making sure you don't cut all the way through the bottom of the pastry (just the top crust and slightly into the filling).
• Position baking rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 190°C (375°F).
• Bring your pan next to the sink and run the cold water tap. Wet the tips of your fingers and shake the water onto the pastry. Do this a few times to ensure droplets of water fall all over the pastry (this ensures a crisp crust upon baking).
• Bake pie for approximately one hour, until you achieve a deep golden crust. If you have a flat-bottomed oven (no element), do put your pan on the floor of the oven for the last 20 minutes or so to ensure an even crisper bottom crust.
• The pita is best slightly warm or at room temperature.
• Enjoy!

GREEK TRAVELLING PIE

Steps:

• Mix the sugar, butter, eggs and flour together in a bowl until well mixed.
• Shape the dough into about 15 mini balls, flatten them and place them on a cooking sheet.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Place the tray in the oven and let them cook from 30-45 minutes or until brown.

CRISPY GREEK-STYLE PIE

Steps:

• Put the spinach into a large pan. Pour over a couple tbsp water, then cook until just wilted. Tip into a sieve, leave to cool a little, then squeeze out any excess water and roughly chop. Roughly chop the tomatoes and put into a bowl along with the spinach, feta and eggs. Mix well.
• Carefully unroll the filo pastry. Cover with some damp sheets of kitchen paper to stop it drying out. Take a sheet of pastry and brush liberally with some of the sundried tomato oil. Drape oil-side down in a 22cm loosebottomed cake tin so that some of the pastry hangs over the side. Brush oil on another piece of pastry and place in the tin, just a little further round. Keep placing the pastry pieces in the tin until you have roughly three layers, then spoon over the filling. Pull the sides into the middle, scrunch up and make sure the filling is covered. Brush with a little more oil.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Cook the pie for 30 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the cake tin, slice into wedges and serve with salad.

GREEK CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans.
• Mix feta cheese and eggs together in a bowl for the filling; set aside.
• Lay out 1 sheet of phyllo on a work surface and brush liberally with olive oil. Top with another sheet and brush with oil. Repeat for a total of 4 sheets, but do not brush the top of the fourth sheet. Transfer the stack of oiled sheets to one of the greased cake pans. Drape over the bottom of the pan, trying not to be too perfect about it; you want some folds and wrinkles in the phyllo.
• Spread 1/2 of the filling over the phyllo in an even layer. Fold the overhanging phyllo over the filling, again letting natural folds and wrinkles occur. Loosely lay 1 sheet of phyllo over the top, brush with oil, and use the oiled brush to pat down the sides all around the circumference of the cake pan.
• Repeat with remaining phyllo, oil, and filling to assemble the second pie.
• Bake the cheese pies in the preheated oven until the tops are a deep golden brown, 45 to 60 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.