Savory Feta Pies Food

SAVORY FETA PIES

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute onion until soft, about 2 minutes. Add beef and brown slightly; drain excess fat. Stir in tomato, garlic powder, coriander, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and cook until meat is evenly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Remove one pie crust from pan and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Cut pastry into four 6 inch circles; place circles on lined cookie sheet and lightly brush with egg beat. Place 1/4 cup of feta cheese onto each circle and top with some beef mixture, leaving enough room to seal dough 'pockets'.
• Remove second pie crust from pan and roll out on lightly floured surface. Cut pastry into four 6 inch circles, as with first pie crust. Brush one side of each circle with egg beat and place, egg-side-down, on top of prepared pie circles. Pinch crusts together to seal around the edges. Use dough scraps to fill any holes or tears in the pie 'pockets'. Brush tops with egg beat and make a small slit in the top of each pie (to allow steam to escape).
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown.

SAVORY FILO PIE WITH ZUCCHINI AND FETA

Steps:

• Remove the filo from the refrigerator. Grate the zucchini using the large holes of a grater. Place it in a colander and sprinkle with ¼ tsp. of salt. Let it sit for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes, squeeze the zucchini between the palms of your hands to remove all the excess water. This is necessary so your filo does not get soggy (as a reference, I was able to remove about a cup of liquid from mine). Place the drained zucchini in a medium bowl.
• Chop the green onions, mince the dill and crumble the Feta. Add them to the bowl with the zucchini then stir in the yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest, spearmint, salt and pepper. Stir gently to incorporate and set aside. If there is time, refrigerate the mixture for 20-30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a 10" springform pan with a piece of parchment paper and secure it to the top edges of the side with clips (a regular 10" tart pan can be used as well as long as the sides are about 2" tall.).
• Open your room-temperature filo. Unroll it and place it on a clean surface. Position the long side in front of you. The filo will measure 13" x 18". Cut through the center of the stack of filo so you have a 13" x 9" stack. You will need only half of the package (8oz.), so cover the remainder well and refrigerate it.
• Take two filo sheets and place the springform pan on top of them. With a sharp knife, cut the filo around the pan so you have two round pieces of filo. Brush a little olive oil on each of them and stack them at the bottom of the pan (they will form the base of the filo pie).
• Brush three sheets of filo lightly with olive oil and stack then on top of each other. Spread about 3 TBSP. the filling on the top layer of the filo stack, using the back of a spoon (do not worry if it is not spread evenly). Gently scrunch the filo lengthwise to create a pleat (see photos). Once it is all scrunched, form a small coil and place the coiled and filled filo in the center of the pan. Repeat this spread/scrunch/coil process with a second stack of three layers of filo, and add this to the end of the first coil in the pan so that your coil is expanding from the center of the pan outward (see photos). Continue with the same process until you have created three additional pleated filo stacks and you run out of the filling. If there are any visible gaps, use some pieces of filo to fill them out.
• Brush the top of the pleated filo tart lightly with olive oil and bake for about an hour. Half way through baking, gently lift the tart to ensure that the bottom is cooking evenly. If it is not, place the pan on the lower rack for the remainder of the cooking time.
• When the tart is ready, the top should look golden brown and crispy. If necessary, cook for a few more minutes to get it to the right color. Remove the pan and place the tart on a rack to cool down slightly until you can handle it. At that point, open the springform pan and slide the filo tart directly to the rack to cool off completely.