Monday 1 May 2017

Greek Onion Pie









Both my boys play sport nearly every weekend and usually both days on the weekend.  Our little family could seriously keep Mr Four'n Twenty in business entirely on our own if we relied on the canteen at the local footy ground or sport stadium for nourishment on Saturdays and Sundays. But as much has a love a good meat pie now and then, I prefer to eat my own food as much as possible.  So I try to bake something reasonably portable to take for a "car picnic" while watching the boys chase whatever ball is in season at the time and so they can have something homemade while on the road. ... And with this, they can still say they had a pie at the footy, which is after all,  a rite of passage and a cultural obligation all in one. 


Greek Onion Pie
Serves 6 - 8
adapted from here

60ml extra virgin olive oil
6 brown onions
2 cloves garlic
4 French shallots
2 leeks
A sprig of thyme
2 bay leaves
200g ricotta, well drained
200g feta, crumbled
Olive oil spray, for greasing
16 sheets filo pastry, cut to fit the baking pan
100g ghee, melted and cooled
Sea salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper

If you have a food processor with a slicing blade, now it the time to use it.  Thinly slice the onions, garlic, shallots and leeks (or slice by hand, but keep a box of tissues handy!)  Set aside.

Heat the oil on medium heat in a large heavy-based frying pan.  Add the sliced vegetables and the thyme and bay leaves.  Lightly season with salt and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for about 45 minutes or until soft and slightly caramelised.  Set aside to cool.

Remove the thyme and bays leaves and add the ricotta and feta.  Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 170C and slip a baking sheet on the middle shelf of the oven.

Spray a 20cm x 30cm (or thereabouts) baking pan with olive oil cooking spray and line the base and sides with baking paper.

Brush the baking paper with the melted ghee and line the pan with a sheet of filo pastry.  Brush the pastry with ghee and top it with another sheet of filo pastry.  Continue layering the pastry until you have 8 layers.

Spoon the onion filling on top and spread it evenly to fill the pan to the edges and level the top.

Lay a sheet of filo pastry over the filling and brush it with ghee.  Top it with another sheet of filo pastry and continue layering until you have 8 layers.  Brush the final layer with ghee.

Pop the baking tray on the preheated baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden.  

7 comments:

  1. I love when you write your little life moments hihi :) I'm sure it's far better than the canteen!! With all the ricotta and feta in it, yum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Gabrielle. I ended up feeding half the team!!!

      Delete
  2. A pie is certainly a cultural right of passage! But I think I'd rather skip the Four and Twenty and dig into this instead!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Amy. Pies are so portable and picnic-friendly. Beats a soggy sandwich any day of the week.

      Delete
  3. This looks lovely, great combination and I love vegetarian pies. I was surprised by the ghee, what does it taste like and how does it compare to using butter on the filo?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tania. Ghee is essentially clarified butter. It is simmered slightly longer than regular clarified butter so that the water evaporates off and you are left with pure butterfat. It has a higher smoking point than most other fats. It tastes like butter. You can use melted butter if you prefer.

      Delete
  4. Thanks for that, I have never tried cooking with it (I love Indian though!). It sounds like it's better to fry with, I love frying in butter (naughty, naughty) but you know it burns so easily. I'm going to make this pie soon.

    ReplyDelete