Savory Filo Pie With Zucchini And Feta Recipes

TRADITIONAL ZUCCHINI PIE RECIPE WITH FETA CHEESE (GREEK KOLOKITHOPITA)

Steps:

• To prepare this traditional Greek zucchini pie recipe (kolokithopita), start by making the dough. In a large mixing bowl add the flour and salt, make a well in the centre and pour in the vinegar and olive oil. Using a dough hook mix to combine the ingredients for 10-15 seconds. (Tip: The vinegar helps the dough for the zucchini pie to become crispy.)
• Depending on the kind of flour, the weather, the humidity and various factors, the dough for the zucchini pie may need a little bit more or less water than this recipe calls for. Start by adding 200g of water at first (3/4 of a cup) and mix, until the flour absorbs the water. After mixing for a while, the dough should become an elastic ball. The perfect dough for your zucchini pie should be soft, malleable and smooth. If the dough is still crumbled, then you need to add a little bit more water. Add a few drops of water and mix for a while. Check out the consistency of your dough and add a few more drops of water, if needed. In case you added more water than needed, the dough will become sticky. Don't worry, you can fix that by adding some more flour (add 1/2 tsp at first, mix and check again).
• When you are happy with the consistency of the dough for your zucchini pie, wrap with some plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 45-60 minutes. This is essential, so that the dough softens and you can roll it easily.
• In the meantime prepare the filling for the zucchini pie (Greek kolokithopita). Remove the skin of the zucchinis and grate them into a collander, season with salt and leave aside for 20 minutes to drain. Wrap the grated zucchinis in a towel and squeeze, in order to get rid of the excess water. In a saucepan add 2 tbsps olive oil and saute the onions, until soft. Add all the ingredients for the filling of the zucchini pie in a large bowl and blend to combine. Set aside.
• For this zucchini pie recipe you will need a large baking pan approx. 25x35cm. Using a cooking brush oil the bottom and sides of the pan.
• Divide the dough into two halves. You will use half the dough for the bottom of the zucchini pie and the other half to cover it. Place half the dough on a floured surface and coat your rolling pin with some flour. Make a circle of dough with your hands; now you are ready do roll! Ensure that your dough has plenty of flour to prevent it from sticking to the working surface or the rolling pin. At first, roll out a few times, turning the dough every once in a while, to keep the circle even and the dough from sticking to the surface. Gently roll the edge of the dough over the rolling pin and roll the dough around the pin. Place your hands in the center of the rolling pin and as you roll, move them out to the sides so that both the rolling pin and your hands are working to spread and thin the dough. Unroll, turn a half turn and repeat. Continue rolling making the dough thinner and thinner each time. Move your hands from the center to the sides to keep even pressure and help in spreading and thinning the dough. Carefully roll your dough around the rolling pin and then unroll it over the pan and ease the dough into the dish, pushing it into all sides.
• Tip in the filling of the zucchini pie. Roll out the rest of the dough, roll your dough around the rolling pin and then unroll it over the filling of the zucchini pie (kolokithopita). With a knife trim some of the excessive phyllo and roll the rest on the edges. Brush the top with enough olive oil and make some holes on top of the zucchini pie with a sharp knife. Drizzle the kolokithopita with some water and sprikle with sesame seeds.
• Bake the zucchini pie in preheated oven at 180C for 50-60 minutes, until nicely coloured.
• Serve this delicious Greek zucchini pie (kolokithopita) as starter, mid-day snack or as a main dish with a nice Greek salad aside. Enjoy!

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.

FETA PHYLLO AND ZUCCHINI PIE

Steps:

• Set zucchini in a colander, sprinkle with salt and drain for 1 hour. Squeeze out excess moisture from zucchini then cook it for a few minutes in olive oil. Season to taste from salt and pepper and set aside to cool slightly.
• In a mixing bowl combine the eggs with the milk, feta cheese, parsley, dill, and bread crumbs. Add the cooked zucchini and adjust the seasoning, using lots of pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 by 13-inch deep baking pan. Layer a sheet of phyllo so that it overlaps baking pan and extends beyond the rim. Brush the sheet very lightly with melted butter and cover with another phyllo sheet. Continue this way until half of the phyllo has been used. Add the zucchini and spread it out evenly. Fold overhanging phyllo up over the squash filling and brush with melted butter. Lay remaining phyllo leaves on top, again brushing melted butter between the layers. Brush top well with butter, score top layers with a sharp knife and bake for an hour. Cool and serve with a green salad or a vegetable salad of green beans, tomatoes and olives.

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.

CRUSTLESS ZUCCHINI AND FETA PIE

Steps:

• Grate zucchini using the largest holes of a box grater. Place in a colander, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and let drain for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in Greek yogurt and 1/3 cup olive oil. Add flour and whisk until well combined.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush a 12-inch round baking pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle 1/2 of the bread crumbs over the bottom.
• Place zucchini in a cheesecloth or kitchen towel; bring the ends together and twist to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• Transfer zucchini to the bowl with the egg-flour mixture. Add bell pepper, onion, black pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and but 2 tablespoons crumbled feta; mix well. Use a spatula to spread mixture into an even layer in the prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining feta over top, followed by remaining bread crumbs.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pie is set and top is golden brown, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool 20 minutes before cutting.

EASY SUMMER PEACH PUFF PASTRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Gather and measure all the ingredients and remove the thawed puff pastry from the freezer. The puff pastry should unfold easily but still be cold (it is best not to allow it to get to room temperature). Line two, 13" x 9" sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Place one sheet of puff pastry on a slightly floured surface, unfold it, and roll it out gently to about 10" x 12". With a sharp knife (or, with a pizza cutter), trim the edges. Cut each puff pastry sheet into six, equal rectangles (they do not have to be perfect or exactly even). Place the rectangles on the first parchment- paper-lined sheet pan and, with a sharp knife, score a small boarder around each rectangle. Then with a fork, prick each piece several times in the center part of each rectangle to allow the steam to escape while they bake. Do not prick holes in the border.
• Return the pan to the refrigerator and repeat the same with the second sheet of puff pastry to form six more puff pastry tartlet shells. Place the second pan in the refrigerator as well. The puff pastry should chill for half an hour while you preheat the oven and work with the fruit.
• Preheat the oven to 400° F.
• Wash and dry the peaches. Cut each one around the "seam" and twist. Some peaches are "free stone" (see note below), and, by twisting the two halves, should separate easily from the pit. Cut them in ½" slices and place them in a bowl with the granulated sugar, almond extract, lemon zest, lemon juice. Toss gently to combine.
• Remove the first sheet pan from the refrigerator. Spread some almond meal (if using), over each rectangular piece of puff pastry, leaving a small border (the almond meal will help absorb some of the juices from the peaches and leave you with a crispier crust). Fan 5-6 slices of fruit on top of the almond meal, overlapping slightly each other. Continue with the rest of the fruit, leaving any extra liquid behind, in the bowl and making sure that the border does not become wet (or it will not rise).
• Whisk together the egg and the water. Brush the border lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with some turbinado sugar.
• Bake each sheet pan, one at a time, for about 15 minutes, rotating half way if necessary, until the pastry is golden and the peaches are tender.
• While the tartlets bake, gently warm the peach or apricot preserves, adding a little water if necessary, to thin it out. Let it cool.
• Glaze the peaches with some of the preserves the minute they are out of the oven and still warm. Let them cool for 10 minutes and serve as is, or, with some vanilla ice cream.