Ingredients 5 country-style phyllo sheets 1/3 με 1/2 cup olive oil FOR THE FILLING 1 kg beef (or a mix of beef and lamb) 1/3 cup olive oil 5 small tender leeks (or 2 large), sliced 2 onions, sliced Salt Freshly ground pepper 1 cup petoura (short Kozani pasta) or equivalent 1/3 cup milk or yogurt 2-3 beaten eggs Equipment Baking tray TAGS MEAT GROUND MEAT MAIN COURSES GREEK TRADITIONAL FOODS WHAT TO COOK TODAY Ingredients 5 country-style phyllo sheets 1/3 με 1/2 cup olive oil FOR THE FILLING 1 kg beef (or a mix of beef and lamb) 1/3 cup olive oil 5 small tender leeks (or 2 large), sliced 2 onions, sliced Salt Freshly ground pepper 1 cup petoura (short Kozani pasta) or equivalent 1/3 cup milk or yogurt 2-3 beaten eggs Instructions Heat olive oil in a wide, shallow pan. Add the chopped meat or ground beef and sauté for 6-7 minutes until it absorbs its juices. Add the leeks and onions and cook over medium heat for a few minutes without browning. Stir occasionally. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Add the petoura pasta and mix. Let the filling cool for a few minutes. Beat the eggs with the milk or yogurt and fold into the filling. Grease a 40 cm round pan (or a 35×28 cm rectangular pan) with olive oil. Layer 3 phyllo sheets, brushing lightly with olive oil between layers, letting the edges overhang. Spread the filling evenly in a thin layer. Cover with one lightly crumpled phyllo sheet, brush with olive oil, then cover with the last sheet, also crumpled. Fold the overhanging edges inward and twist loosely around the pie. Place a glass in the center and score a circle around it with a knife, cutting only the top layers. Divide into 12 wedges, drizzling the cuts with the remaining olive oil and a few drops of water. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F), conventional mode, lower rack, for about 1 hour until golden and the bottom of the pie separates from the pan. Bake the last 10 minutes with only the lower heat for extra crispness. The pie is ready when golden and fully releases from the pan. Tips Since we’re talking about a traditional meat pie, people used to chop the meat by hand into coarse pieces. You can replace this by using ground meat passed once through a meat grinder. Petoura is a traditional Kozani pasta. It looks like short, thick noodles. They are made with fresh eggs, milk, salt, and flour. You can substitute simple short noodles. They are used in the filling to absorb the pie’s juices so that the filling stays fluffy and the pastry layers remain crisp after baking. When making a pie, spread the filling in a thin layer, so a large shallow pan, preferably 38 or 40 cm (15-16 in) in diameter, is recommended. This helps the sheets bake evenly and become very crisp. Never use the convection/air setting when baking the pie. Especially if the pie has many layers (5–6 sheets), it should be baked on the lower rack with conventional heat so it cooks evenly inside. Convection can brown the outside too quickly before the center is fully cooked. A pie with too much moisture inside right out of the oven will result in soggy layers. When you remove the meat pie from the oven while it’s hot, do not cut it immediately. Let it rest 10-15 minutes so the moisture is absorbed. If you prefer a less crunchy pie, cover the hot pie with a clean towel for 10 minutes. This prevents the pastry from becoming too crisp. TAGS MEAT GROUND MEAT MAIN COURSES GREEK TRADITIONAL FOODS WHAT TO COOK TODAY
