Alevropita – Greek feta pie

This is the easiest Greek pie there is. A pie that doesn’t include a lot of ingredients and that’s super quick to make. A pie that should definitely become part of your cooking repertoire.

It’s thin, crispy, fluffy and soft all at the same time, full of cheesy flavor from the feta, buttery and so incredibly delicious that you really can’t stop eating it. I can’t, for sure.

It’s called alevropita which translates to “flour pie” and it is essentially a pie that’s made with a thin batter. There are as many recipes and names for this as there are cooks in Greece (zymaropita, kourkoutopita and kasopita are a few alternate names) and it is traditionally made in Epiros in the Northeastern part of Greece where all good pies are made (especially in Zagoria and Ioannina).

The original alevropita comes from Zagori which is located in the mountain range of Pindos in Epiros and if you ever find yourselves in that part of Greece, try all the pies. You won’t regret it.

Some versions of alevropita have a thicker batter, almost like a paste, others more like custard, some include different kinds of cheeses and some even include vegetables. Some people add yoghurt while others add a lot more eggs and omit the milk, some add baking powder or yeast, but those pies are plain wrong; no leavening agent is required in this pie, otherwise it’s a bread, not a pie.
This is the basic version of alevropita and I have to say, the more authentic one. Besides, simplicity is key when it comes to Greek food.

Alevropita should be thin, no more than one centimeter, it should be crispy when it comes out of the oven and it is to be eaten straight away as it doesn’t retain that crispiness when it cools down; it does retain, however, its deliciousness, so if you have leftovers, which I highly doubt you will, you’ll certainly enjoy them.

It’s a pie that you can have for breakfast, take it with you to the office or eat it on the go, it’s perfect for lunch and certainly a great mezes to have with drinks. Pairs perfectly with ouzo and tsipouro, among others.

It’s also the best recipe to have in your back pocket when you’re in a hurry or have unexpected visitors that you want to surprise with something delicious.
So wait not. Go forth and make the easiest large Greek pie there is!

Alevropita – Greek feta pie

For me, this pie should be made only with feta. Others will have you add different cheeses but the texture and flavor, as well as the final result, will never be as good or “proper” as it will be when you use the real deal; Greek feta.

The secret to a good alevropita is the ultra hot oiled and buttered pan that heats in the oven before pouring the batter inside. It’s what makes the pie crispy.

Generally speaking, Greek pies are best baked in special pans (called "sini") made of aluminum, that are very thin and conduct heat well, creating crispy pies. That doesn’t mean of course that you can’t use another kind of baking pan.
You will need a super large pan for this pie, 36 cm in diameter, which for Greeks is a normal size. ;)

Yield: 8 large pieces

Ingredients
260 g all-purpose flour
500 ml fresh whole milk
50 ml water
1 large egg
Pinch of salt
275 g feta (Greek of course!)
½ Tbsp (10-15 g) unsalted butter for greasing the pan, plus extra for topping the pie
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil for greasing the pan, plus ½ Tbsp for drizzling over the pie

Special equipment: round pan 36 cm


Preparation
Preheat your oven to 200°C.

Butter the bottom and sides of the pan with ½ Tbsp butter (or enough butter to coat well the sides and bottom of the pan) and drizzle with a little olive oil (1 tsp).

In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, milk, water, egg and salt and beat with a wire whisk until you have a smooth batter. It will be runny.

Place the buttered and oiled pan in the preheated oven and leave for about 3 minutes until it becomes very hot and the butter and oil sizzles. Make sure to keep an eye on it because it may burn. Remove the pan from the oven and straight away pour in the batter. Immediately crumble the feta on top and dot the top with butter (refer to photo below – I add about 15 very small pieces of butter) and finally drizzle with ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil.

Place on the lower rack of the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes, rotating the pan midway through baking time, until it has a nice crust around the edges and has taken on a golden color all over.

Cut into large pieces and eat immediately. It’s best when it’s hot/warm from the oven and still crispy.

If you have leftovers, it is certainly delicious cold (even though not crispy anymore). If you want to reheat it, don’t do it in the microwave as it will become even softer. Reheat it in the oven, and it will become a bit crispy.

Homemade labneh (strained yoghurt cheese) and 5 serving suggestions

A couple of weeks ago, I made feta. Feta! Can you believe it? I couldn’t. I never thought it was possible to make feta at home and that was one of the few times I was happy to be wrong. For a feta-fiend like me, this was perhaps my greatest accomplishment in the kitchen.

Granted, I didn’t go all the way, meaning that I didn’t put the feta in brine for at least two weeks to mature and develop its characteristic tangy and salty flavor so, technically, it wasn’t feta, but the promise of feta was there and I can’t wait to give it another try. I will need to do some more research first on the brining part so I don’t mess it up and hopefully I will eventually be able to share with you too the results of my feta adventures along with the recipe.

In the meantime, let’s talk about a different cheese, let’s talk about labneh, or yoghurt cheese as some call it. It’s one of the easiest and most stress-free cheeses one can make, even easier than the chèvre I’ve shared with you previously on this blog, and it’s utterly satisfying and delicious to eat.

Labneh is a fresh cheese made from strained yoghurt and it couldn’t be simpler to make. You just take strained yoghurt and you strain it some more until you get a thick and rich consistency like cream cheese. That’s it. You can add salt if you’re going to use it in savory dishes, or sugar if you plan on using it for desserts, or you can serve it as is instead of yoghurt or cream cheese.

It has a rounded, creamy flavor and it is tangier than cream cheese since it is made entirely with yoghurt, but because the yoghurt used is full-fat, the butterfat softens that tanginess.

I strain the yoghurt for no less than 24 hours in order to get the labneh consistency I want, which is thick and firm enough to be able to form it into small balls that hold together well, but at the same time soft enough to be spreadable, ultra smooth and creamy.

I make it fairly often as I am a complete and utter cheese and yoghurt addict, and I do lots of variations when I serve it, which is mainly with bread, flatbread or crackers of any kind. As you can see here, I top it with grated tomato and Greek wild dried oregano, with garlic, sliced fresh green chillies, garlic and dill, with za’atar, rolled into balls and covered completely with Greek wild dried oregano or sprinkled with sumac and fresh marjoram and of course drizzled with lots of olive oil.

Hope you give it a try and would love to know how you liked it.

Homemade labneh (strained yoghurt cheese) and 5 serving suggestions

Please don’t attempt to make labneh with anything other than full-fat yoghurt because 1) fat equals flavor and creaminess and 2) low-fat yoghurt has a higher water content so you will end up with far less labneh. Furthermore, it is best if you use Greek or Turkish yoghurt, not the plain yoghurts you find in stores. Greek and Turkish yoghurts are already strained and thick, so in turn they will give you a thicker and creamier labneh.

Keep in mind before you start that the yoghurt needs to be strained for 24 hours in order to achieve a thick yet creamy and smooth consistency. If you prefer your labneh on the softer side, strain for 12 hours. It will be looser and very creamy. I prefer the thicker one as it is more versatile and can be used in many ways.

Yield: 550-600 g labneh

Ingredients
1 kg Greek or Turkish yoghurt, full-fat (at least 10% fat)
½ tsp sea salt

Special equipment: large fine sieve, muslin or cheesecloth, butcher’s twine


Preparation
Stir the yoghurt in its pot well. Line a large, fine sieve with a piece of cheesecloth or a muslin cloth and set it over a large bowl. Make sure there is ample distance between the base of the sieve and the bottom of the bowl.
Empty the yoghurt into the cheesecloth and tie the cheesecloth well with butcher’s twine so the yoghurt is pressed. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and leave the yoghurt to drain for 24 hours.
Every few hours, give it a squeeze to help it along. I usually do it every 4 hours.

When ready, remove the drained yogurt from the cheesecloth into a large bowl, add the salt and stir it well to mix with the creamier center.

Note: If you want to add more salt in order to use it in a savory dish, or sugar if you want to use it in a sweet dish, you can do so now.

Cover tightly with plastic warp, or place labneh in an airtight container, and refrigerate until ready to use.

It keeps for 4 days in the fridge.

Rolled into balls and kept in a sterilized jar filled with olive oil, it keeps for a month.

5 serving suggestions:

1. Scoop labneh into a bowl. Top with grated fresh tomato (or you can use only the jelly and seeds part of the tomato by scooping them out from the tomato) and a good sprinkling of Greek wild dried oregano. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve straight away.

2. Mix some labneh with 1 grated garlic clove. Place into a bowl, top with fine slices of green chilli (it can be either hot or mild depending on your taste) and some finely chopped dill leaves. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve straight away.

3. Scoop labneh into a bowl. Sprinkle with a good amount of za’atar (or dukkah, you can see my recipe here) and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve straight away.

4. To make balls: scoop labneh (cold, straight from the fridge) using a teaspoon or tablespoon, depending on the size you want them to be, and roll them between your hands. Roll them onto Greek wild dried oregano to coat them completely. Serve straight away, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. You can preserve them in olive oil in a jar if you wish to keep them for longer.

5. To make balls: scoop labneh (cold, straight from the fridge) using a teaspoon or tablespoon, depending on the size you want them to be, and roll them between your hands. Sprinkle them with sumac and serve straight away, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a few fresh marjoram leaves. You can preserve them in olive oil in a jar if you wish to keep them for longer.

You can serve all of these with fresh bread, pitta bread, crackers or vegetables of any kind.

Grilled halloumi with a cherry tomato, cherry and pomegranate molasses salsa

I would never become a vegetarian but with all the beautiful vegetarian dishes the cuisine of my country, Greece, has, I could easily spend the whole summer —when all the delicious vegetables are in season— without even a single bite of meat.

Briam, stuffed tomatoes, peas with potatoes, spanakorizo, green beans in a tomato sauce are only a sample of the Greek dishes that are perfect for this time of year. Give me a big slab of good Greek feta, preferably barrel-aged which is a bit tangier than the regular one, and a crusty loaf of bread and I’m set. I honestly don’t need anything else.

As much as I love all the aforementioned dishes, I also love dishes that are easy to cook smack in the middle of summer when the temperatures are high and the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven or spend more time than necessary in the kitchen.

Such dishes are of course salads, generous, luscious and full of flavor and texture, capable to satisfy your hunger but also please the eye with their vibrant color, and dishes that are based on cheese, like this one, in which essentially the halloumi substitutes the main protein like meat or fish.

If you like halloumi, then this dish is for you. The halloumi is grilled or pan-fried in a little bit of olive oil just enough to create a thin, golden crust that’s crispy and addictive while inside it is transformed into a wonderfully soft and slightly chewy cheese that melts in the mouth. It is served with a flavorsome and visually appealing salsa which includes plump cherry tomatoes and sweet, juicy cherries, red onion and fiery dried red chilli flakes, fresh herbs to “cleanse” the palate, olive oil and the secret ingredient, pomegranate molasses, which provides the necessary acidity and tang that blends and balances all the other flavors.

You need to try it. This is a main course, but it fits very nicely as an accompaniment to various meat dishes that are cooked on the grill or the bbq, or it can be served as a meze dish together with a cold beer.

See you again soon! I have so many recipes to share with you.

Grilled (or pan-fried) halloumi with a cherry tomato, cherry and pomegranate molasses salsa

Some people don’t like halloumi because of its squeaky texture. Well, the secret to halloumi is that it needs to be eaten while still hot/warm and freshly cooked. If it cools down, then it becomes rubbery.

I’ve made this salsa before with watermelon, peaches or plums cut into small pieces instead of cherries and it was great. I’ve also made it with pomegranate seeds. So, you can substitute the cherries with any one of these fruits if cherry season is over where you live, and by using pomegranate seeds, you can make this salsa even during the winter.

Don’t make the salsa ahead of time but only before you start grilling the halloumi. If it sits, then it loses its freshness and you definitely need the fruits to be crisp and the herbs lively and fresh.

Yield: 6 servings (for light lunch or side dish)

Ingredients

for the salsa
150 g cherry tomatoes (about 13), cut in half
½ red onion, sliced
7-8 dark sweet cherries, pits removed, cut in half
A handful of fresh, flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
A handful of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses (see here to make your own)
1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, 3-4 grinds of the pepper mill

for the halloumi
500 g halloumi, cut into ½ cm-thick slices
1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil


Preparation

for the salsa
In a medium-sized bowl, add all the ingredients for the salsa and mix together gently.
Set the salsa aside. Don’t make it ahead, but only just before you cook the cheese, so it stays fresh and crisp.

for the halloumi
In a griddle/grill pan or a frying pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. When it starts to shimmer, lower heat to medium and add the cheese. Fry it for 2 minutes on each side, or until it has softened and has taken on a golden color on the outside.
Remove it from the pan and place it on absorbent kitchen paper.

serve the dish
On a large plate, arrange the slices of cooked halloumi and top with the salsa.
Serve immediately.