It is that time of the year again when delicious recipes from the many regions of Greece are flooding social media following the initiative launched by Christine Polyzos of Kali Orexi four years ago.
Meri Month of May is a social media campaign highlighting dishes, unique to many regions Greece, in order to celebrate the depth and breadth of Greek cuisine, and help preserve these recipes for our generation and the next. Hence the word ‘Meri’, which in Greek means “region” and is often used by people when they talk about the food and traditions characteristic to their village in Greece.
The Meri Month of May kicked off this week with the Greek Pie Drive featuring on the first day, a luscious and delicious Kreatopita (meat pie) from Tirnavo, in Thessaly.
The detailed recipe was shared with Kali Orexi by Tina Laftsis, who learned it from her mother-in-law, Maria, who emanates from Tirnavo.
“This pita is traditionally made and eaten on New Year’s Day as a Vasilopita. Cold and snowy New Year’s Days call for hearty fare! A coin and a toothpick are added to the kreatopita filling. The coin will bring luck to whoever finds it in their piece and the toothpick (a “piece of wood”) is added to keep the home and all of its occupants strong throughout the New Year,” according to Laftsis.
During the second week of May, Kali Orexi will show you how to start your day the Greek way, with Breakfasts Greek Style, whilst the third week is dedicated to Constantinople for a taste of Politiki Kouzina with recipes derived from Christine’s parents-in-law. Last but not least, Greek deserts made with custard will feature across social media platforms on the fourth week of May.
The recipes are accompanied by step-by-step videos to help even beginners try their hand in making them.
Tina’s Kreatopita Tirnavou Recipe
For the dough you will need…
250g plain flour/all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
30ml extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
10ml white vinegar
2/3 cup warm tap water, approximately (see dough making instructions)
For the dusting mixture you will need…
250g plain flour/all-purpose flour
75g cornflour/cornstarch
For the filling you will need…
1kg brown onions sliced (cut the onions in half and slice each half lengthways 10-12 times)
1kg pork neck diced into 1 inch cubes
½ cup EVOO
2 ½ tsp salt
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
750ml water
½ cup burghul
Making the dough…
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl
Add the olive oil and vinegar and rub it into the flour
Add half a cup of warm water and combine with the flour to form a dough
There will be unincorporated flour in your bowl – add a small amount of water at a
time and mix into the dough and remaining flour – keep doing this until all the flour
combines with the dough – the dough should be soft and pliable
Turn the dough onto your work surface and knead it for 1-2 minutes
Place the dough in a bowl, cover it with a clean damp towel and leave it to rest at
room temperature for 2 hours
Preparing the ‘flour – corn flour’ dusting mixture
Combine the plain flour with the corn flour well – this ‘flour – corn flour’ mixture is used
to dust the fillo whenever it gets a little tacky, as you are rolling it out
Preparing the filling
In a large pot heat the EVOO on medium-high
Add a single layer of pork pieces to the pot
Brown the pork pieces on both sides, before setting them aside on a plate
Repeat till all pork pieces are browned
Add the onions to the pot
Sauté till the onions soften and brown a little
Return the meat to the pot
Add the salt, peppercorns and water to the pot
Mix well and ensure all the meat pieces are immersed in the stock
Simmer for 1 ½ – 2 hours, until the meat softens and most of the stock has reduced
Add the burghul and cook till the stock thickens and hardly any juices remain
Making the fillo pastry
After the dough has rested, divide it into 5 portions – 2 x 100g, 1 x 85g and 2 x 60g
Roll the portions into balls and place on your work surface and cover with the damp
towel
Take a large pinch of the dusting flour and place it in the centre of your work area
Take one of the 100g balls of dough and roll it into an even, rounded sphere between the palms of your hands. Flatten the sphere between the palms of your hands, so it forms a small, round disc. Place the disc on the dusting flour on your work surface.
Turn the disc over so both sides are coated well with the dusting flour. Using a plastri, roll out the disc one way and then the other, so it forms a larger disc of approximately 15cm in diameter.
Wrap the fillo snugly around the centre of the rolling pin, leaving a small section of the disc unwrapped (like a little tongue hanging out). Then, starting with both hands in the middle of the rolling pin, press down lightly on the fillo while simultaneously moving your hands away from each other. You can use your fingers or the palms of your hands or the junction between your fingers and palms to lightly and evenly press down on the fillo as you move your hands away from each other. Repeat this action of gently pressing down while moving your hands towards the outer edges of the fillo 3-4
times.
With the fillo still wrapped around the rolling pin, raise the rolling pin slightly into the air, rotate it 45 degrees anticlockwise or clockwise, then lower it and unravel the fillo sheet onto your work surface.
Wrap your fillo sheet snuggly onto the rolling pin again, remembering to leave a small section unwrapped.
Again, starting with both hands in the middle of the rolling pin, press the fillo lightly with your fingers and/or palms, while moving your hands away from each other – repeating this pressing/outward-moving action 3-4 times.
Continue to perform the last two actions until your fillo sheet is about 40cm in diameter.
If/when the fillo becomes tacky as you roll it out, dust it with the dusting flour. As you reach the desired fillo diameter of 40cm, make sure most of the dusting mixture has been absorbed by the fillo sheet.
Generously oil the base of a round 30cm diameter pan and drape the fillo sheet across the pan and over the edges of the pan. Tuck the fillo sheet into the edges of the pan.
Drizzle the fillo sheet with olive oil.
Roll out a second fillo sheet from a 100g dough ball to approximately 40cm in diameter. Drape that across the pan and over the edges of the pan too. Drizzle the fillo sheet with olive oil.
Roll out a third fillo sheet from the 85g dough ball to approximately 35cm diameter and place it completely inside the pan. Draw this fillo sheet up the sides of the pan and press its edges against the upper rim of the pan (on top of fillo sheets 1 and 2). Drizzle the fillo sheet with olive oil.
Roll out a fourth sheet of fillo from a 60g dough ball to approximately 30cm diameter, place it completely within the pan and drizzle it with oil.
Roll out a fifth fillo sheet from a 60g dough ball to approximately 30cm diameter, place it completely within the pan and drizzle it with oil.
Making the kreatopita
Pour the filling into the pan and spread it evenly across the pan
Baste both layers of the overhanging fillo with EVOO, twist to form a braid and lay the braid on the filling
Loosely, but completely cover the pan with a sheet of foil
Bake the kreatopita in an oven preheated to 180ºC for 1 hour
Shape the foil sheet into a circle that only covers the filling and lay that centrally on the pita
Bake for a further 10 minutes, till the fillo browns
*You can substitute the pork with beef, lamb or chicken
At the end of the month the recipes and videos will have a dedicated page on the Kali Orexi website.