Greek Olive And Leek Pies Recipes

LEEK AND YOGURT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 10-inch tart pan or cake pan.
• Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, and add the leeks and salt. Cook, stirring, until tender and translucent, about seven minutes. Add pepper, and remove from the heat.
• Beat the eggs in a bowl, and whisk in the yogurt and feta. Stir in the leeks and the walnuts; mix together well. Season with pepper, and stir in the dill.
• Line the pie dish with seven pieces of phyllo, lightly brushing each piece with oil and turning the dish after each addition so that the edges of the phyllo drape evenly over the pan. Fill with the leeks mixture. Fold the draped edges in over the filling, lightly brushing the folded-in sheets of phyllo, then layer the remaining five pieces on top, brushing each with olive oil. Stuff the edges into the sides of the pan. Make a few slashes in the top crust, so that steam can escape as the pie bakes.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the phyllo is golden. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan (or to cool completely), and serve.

GREEK PUMPKIN AND LEEK PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Place the pumpkin pieces on the baking sheet, drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on top and cover tightly with foil. Place in the oven, and roast for 1 1/2 hours or until thoroughly tender. Remove from the heat, transfer to a strainer or a colander set over a bowl or in the sink, and allow to cool and drain. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees.
• Peel the cooled pumpkin, and place in a large bowl or in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Purée coarsely or mash with a fork. Stir in the herbs, nutmeg and feta. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick frying pan. Add the leeks. Cook, stirring, until tender and just beginning to color, five to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and continue to cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from the heat, and add to the pumpkin. Beat the eggs, and stir into the pumpkin mixture.
• Brush a 10- or 12-inch tart pan or cake pan with olive oil and layer in seven sheets of phyllo dough. Place them not quite evenly atop one another, so that the edges overlap the sides of the pan all the way around. Brush each sheet with olive oil (or a mixture of olive oil and melted butter) before adding the next sheet. Fill with the pumpkin mixture, and fold the edges over. Brush the folded-over phyllo with olive oil, then layer five more sheets of dough over the top, brushing each with olive oil (or a combination of melted butter and olive oil). Crimp the edges into the sides of the pan. Pierce the top of the pie in several places with a sharp knife. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. Recrisp the crust if necessary in a low oven for 10 to 20 minutes.

LEEK & GLOBE ARTICHOKE PIE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and add the leeks and onion. Season and cook over a medium heat until the leeks and onion are soft, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 mins. Make sure that the mixture isn't too 'wet' or it will make your pie soggy. If it is, turn the heat up to cook off the excess moisture. Add the artichoke, then set aside to cool.
• Mix together the ricotta, parmesan, egg and herbs together in a large bowl, then tip in the cooled vegetables. Season and mix with a fork.
• Clear a big space on your work surface or kitchen table - you're going to construct a pastry that is one metre wide. Take one piece of filo, put it on the work surface with the long side facing you and brush it with butter. Put two more pieces on top, brushing each one with butter. Now do the same again with three layers, overlapping the previous sheets to the left side by about 3cm. Keep doing this until you have one metre of overlapping buttered pastry sheets.
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and put in a baking sheet to warm up. Spoon the filling in a thin layer onto the pastry, about 2.5cm from the edge. Keep going until you have filled the entire length. Carefully roll this up, working from the edge nearest you, until you have a long sausage shape. You need to be firm, but don't roll too tightly or the filo will split. You should have a couple of unused sheets of filo left, so use these to patch things up, if you need to.
• Working from one end of the sausage shape, coil the pastry, then carefully transfer onto a baking sheet (about the same size as the one warming in the oven).
• Brush the pie with butter, sprinkle over the sesame seeds, then slide the baking sheet onto the one that's already in the oven (this helps to ensure even cooking). Bake for 30-35 mins, or until golden. Leave the pie to cool a little before eating.

GREEK OLIVE AND LEEK PIES

Steps:

• Dilute the yeast in ½ cup warm water.
• Place the flour in the bowl of a food processor equipped with dough hooks.
• Add the salt and with the motor running, pour in the yeast mixture, the lemon juice, olive oil and the rest of the water, as needed.
• Process for about one minute, to get a smooth dough that forms a ball in the processor.
• Turn out onto a floured surface and shape into a ball.
• Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise for about 35 minutes, until doubled.
• Take cupful pieces of dough and flatten them with a rolling pin or your hands, to make saucer size disks.
• Let them stand, while you prepare the filling.
• Warm the oven to 200C.
• In a skillet warm the olive oil and saute the onions and leeks, until soft and transparent.
• Add the olives, pine nuts, parsley and mint and remove from the heat.
• Season with pepper and taste to adjust the seasoning.
• To fill the little pies, put two tablespoons of the filling on each disk of dough, brush the borders with a little water and fold them in half, to cover the filling and obtain pillow like little pies.
• Brush with a little milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if you like.
• Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden brown.
• Let them cool on a rack, and serve them warm or cold.
• NOTE: You can make the pies bite size with walnut size pieces of dough or you can make a whole round or square pie, dividing the pastry in two and using half for the bottom and half for the top of the pan, spreading the filling evenly in between.