I though of adding squash and bell pepper to the eggpants as I had no leeks to sweeten and add color to the stuffing. This semi-open colorful pie/tart is the perfect main course for a vegetarian Thanksgiving or for any festive fall and winter meal.   

In the original pie of Drama sauteed leeks and eggplants are flavored with plenty of agad graviera cheese, and scented with cumin. Walnuts add a meaty taste to this delicious pie that I have baked on many occasions, both at home and also at various meals I have cooked over the years in the US. I often bake a rolled eggplant pie, as it is easier to cut and serve, especially if one uses commercial frozen phyllo, and not the wonderful home-rolled. 

Serves 10-12

About 2/3 cup Olive oil as needed

1 round eggplants, cut into slices

1 large purple onion, thinly sliced

 Half a small squash, peeled, seeded and cut into small dice –about 4 cups

1 red pepper seeded and cut into strips   

 2 cups aged graviera, pecorino or cheddar, grated

1 ½ cup smoked cheddar, grated

1 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Aleppo pepper or freshly ground black pepper

About ½ -1 teaspoon salt, as the cheeses are quite salty

½  packet thick frozen commercial phyllo, or homemade phyllo pastry

Preheat the oven to 375 F (200 C) and brush generously the eggplant slices with olive oil, place them on a parchment-paper-lined baking dish and bake until golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool and then chop them into about half-inch pieces.

In the meantime, in a large skillet sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, until soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. To the skillet add the pepper and sauté the pepper, remove when done, then add the squash and a little more olive oil and sauté on high heat, tossing often for 2-3 minutes, then reduce the heat, cover and continue cooking until soft, about 15-20 minutes. Cool in a colander to collect any excess oil.

In a large bowl mix the onions, eggplant, peppers, squash with the grated cheeses, the cumin and the walnuts. Add very little salt and plenty of pepper and toss well to mix.

Oil a pan or a cast iron skillet and lay 2 sheets of phyllo, brushing generously with olive oil and leaving the sheets hanging out of the pan. Add two more sheets of phyllo brushing with oil and then add the filling, spreading all over the pan and pressing to even it.

Fold the hanging phyllo, brushing with olive oil, to make a crown around the pan partly covering the filling.    

Bake in the middle of the oven, reducing the temperature to 350F (180 C) for about 40 minutes or more, until the phyllo turns golden brown and the filling sizzles.

Let cool a little before cutting to serve. The pie can be eaten warm or at room temperature. It can also be frozen and reheated.

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This very simple, absolutely irresistible meze is a somewhat recent addition to the summer menu of Greek taverns. It probably has its roots in the fried or grilled peppers with batzos – a quite pungent, semi-hard cheese from Thessaly and Macedonia. The irresistible meze was probably first served in Thessaloniki taverns and the surrounding areas, and was eventually adopted by home and restaurant cooks all over Greece.

Serves 4

1 large, vine-ripened tomato

4 slices Feta cheese (about 2/3 pound total)

1 medium green bell pepper, sliced into thin rings

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped or a few pinches Maraş pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

About 1/2 cup good olive oil

1 tablespoon Greek oregano or more, to taste

Thick slices of fresh, crusty bread

Preheat the oven to 430˚F (220 C).

Spread a double layer of kitchen paper on a large dish. Core the tomato carefully, slice horizontally into 5-6 pieces and spread them on the paper to drain.

Oil a shallow 8 or 9-inch baking dish, or 4 individual ramekins, and spread the tomato slices at the bottom, reserving 4 nice slices for the top. Sprinkle with some jalapeno and bell pepper slices. Arrange the feta pieces on top, place one tomato slice on each piece of cheese and finally 2 or 3 bell pepper rings on the tomato.

Drizzle liberally with olive oil, sprinkle with oregano and the rest of the jalapeno and transfer to the middle of the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes or more, until the feta turns a light golden color and the oil is sizzling. Serve immediately with warm bread. 

The post Bouyourdi: Grilled Feta, Tomato, and Pepper appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

You can whip them up in minutes.

Feta in Phyllo

I first had this feta package in Eumelia, the Organic Agrotourism Farm in southern Peloponnese. Marilena, the owner, cook, and instructor, served us a large, home-rolled phyllo and feta package, which as she explained, she prepares in advance, freezes, and then briefly fries in hot olive oil whenever she needs to present a quick snack or meze. Her twist on the common phyllo triangles served at most taverns is that the thin slices of feta inside the frozen package are adequately heated through as the package is fried, becoming particularly delicious. The soft cheese does not disintegrate inside the crunchy phyllo, as in the most common versions of this appetizer. Uri Eshet at Kea Retreat serves the packages with sliced figs, and you can pair them with various fresh fruit and or fruit preserves.

Drizzled with honey or any syrup, and sprinkled with sesame seeds or nigella, I bet that this very easy, convenient, and amazing morsel, whipped up with commercial phyllo, will become your next favorite appetizer.  

Bouyourdi

This absolutely irresistible meze is a somewhat recent addition to the summer menu of Greek taverns. It probably has its roots in the fried or grilled peppers with batzos – a quite pungent, semi-hard cheese from Thessaly and Macedonia. The irresistible meze was probably first served in taverns in Thessaloniki and the surrounding areas, and was eventually adopted by home and restaurant cooks all over Greece.

The name of the dish is itself significant in its insignificance – it really means nothing and has no relation to the meze or its ingredients. Bouyourdi – from the Turkish buyrultu (petition or written order) – is a word that has been incorporated into our vernacular since Ottoman times and has a quite unpleasant ring, mostly used in expressions like ‘I got the tax bouyourdi,’ implying that one must pay lots of taxes.

But this bouyourdi has nothing to do wuth taxes, and everyone loves to place and receive this meze order!

RECIPES:

Feta Fried in Phyllo Packages     

Bouyourdi: Roasted Feta with Tomato and Peppers

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Chef Uri Eshet at Kea Retreat serves the packages with sliced figs; you can pair them with other fresh, seasonal fruit and/or with fruit preserves. Drizzle with honey or any syrup, and sprinkled with sesame seeds or nigella, if you like.

I bet that this easy, convenient, and delicious morsel, whipped up with commercial phyllo, will become your next favorite appetizer.  The pieces are quite filling, so one per person is enough.

To make 9 feta-phyllo packages

About 1 pound feta, or more, cut into somewhat less than 1 cm (about 1/3-inch) slices –no need for perfect slices, it doesn’t matter if fata breaks into smaller pieces

6 sheets phyllo dough, preferably thick

1/3 cup or more Olive Oil, as needed, to brush the phyllo

Honey, maple syrup, or agave syrup for drizzling

1/3 cup Sesame or Nigella seeds to sprinkle (optional)

Fresh mint leaves, for serving

Spread a piece of parchment paper on a light a cutting board that can be transferred to the freezer.

Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on the work surface and brush with olive oil. Place another sheet of phyllo on top of the first, brushing with olive oil as before.

Cut the sheets crosswise in two and then cut each half lengthwise into three equal strips.

You now have 6 strips, each about 3 inches wide. (Note: When working with phyllo, keep the sheets covered and moist. To do so, stack the phyllo sheets on a work surface and cover with plastic wrap and then a damp kitchen towel.)

Place 1 or more pieces of feta, to make about a 7 cm (3-inch) square on one end of a phyllo strip. Gently roll it over to wrap the cheese in phyllo. The wrapped piece will have two exposed sides. Now place it on a second strip of phyllo and roll up to completely encase the feta in phyllo.

Repeat with the remaining feta slices and phyllo. Lightly brush the tops with olive oil and transfer to the freezer. After 24 hours you can transfer the frozen, hard phyllo packages to a zip log bag. They keep for up to 4 months.

Just when you want to serve, brush a nonstick skillet with olive oil, heat it and fry the packages about 3 minutes on each side, until well browned. Serve immediately drizzled with honey or any syrup, and sprinkled with seeds, if you like, and fresh mint leaves.  

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Instead of baking the bread on the stone, I often heat a cast iron or clay casserole and when the loaf is ready, I carefully transfer it inside the heated casserole, close the lid and let it bake inside for about 30 minutes then uncover, and continue baking for another 20 minutes or until it is done. Baked inside the casserole the bread gets a more substantial crust. 

I also flatten and roll pieces of the dough stuffing it with greens or broccoli. Lately I invented a pizza-like spanakopita, topping this beautiful dough with the mixture of greens, herbs, feta, and other cheeses –the same one that I use for my winter greens’ pie, where I combine not just spinach but also a variety of wonderful wild, foraged greens. I shaped the round bread-spanakopita in a non-stick skillet, and fried it for about 6-8 minutes, until the bottom started to brown, then continued to bake it in the oven. 

Yields 1 large or 2 medium loaves, or 2-3 flat laganes

2 cups fine semolina (pasta) flour or strong bread flour

3 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or 1 ½ cup whole wheat and 1 cup barley flour

1 tablespoon instant dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

3 1/2 teaspoons mixed ground coriander seeds, anise seeds, caraway, and mahlep (about 2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp ground mahlep, 1 teaspoons anise seeds and 1 teaspoon caraway seeds)

1/2 -1 teaspoon ground pepper (optional)

3 ½ or more cups water 

2 tablespoons milk and 2-3 tablespoons sesame, caraway, nigella, or pumpkin seeds (optional)

For a powerful hand-held mixer: Place flours, yeast and spices in a large bowl and mix well with a spatula. Make a well in the center and add 3 1/2 cups water. Use the spatula to incorporate the liquid. With a hand-held mixer fitted with dough hooks work the mixture for 1-2 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes. Work again with the hand-held mixer for 5 minutes or more, occasionally stopping to turn over the dough with a large spatula.

In a stand mixer start by tossing the flours, spices and yeast together, then with the dough hook and while the machine runs  in low, pour the water slowly on the side of the bowl and work the dough for about 5-6 minutes.

Either way, the dough should still be wet and somewhat sticky, but should start to come off the sides of the bowl. If too dry, add a little water, if too wet add a few tablespoons all purpose flour.

Flour the working surface and turn out the dough. Dust your hands and the dough with flour and knead –folding, pushing, turning and folding again— for a couple of minutes or more, until you get a dough that is smooth, elastic, but still slightly sticky to the touch.

Lightly oil a large transparent or semi-transparent bowl, as well as a piece of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to the oiled bowl. Trace a line on the outside of the bowl to monitor the dough’s expansion. Cover with the oiled plastic wrap and let rise until double its original volume: 1 1/2 hours or more.

(When the dough has expanded to about 1 1/2 times its size you may transfer the bowl with the dough to the refrigerator, and leave it overnight and up to 24 hours. It will continue to rise slowly. Before proceeding further, bring dough to room temperature).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into to loaves, an 8-x-11-inch oval or an 8-inch round, or make laganes (flattis, focaccia-like breads) by pushing the dough with wet fingers making dimples all over the surface.

Place in baking dishes lined with parchment paper, cover with the oiled plastic wrap and let it rise for another 30 minutes —it won’t rise much. If you like, brash the surface with milk, and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

(At this point you can cut off pieces of dough, flatten them slightly, sprinkle with flour, wrap in parchment paper, seal in zip log bags and freeze. You can defrost and use later)

At least 20 minutes before baking, place a baking sheet or a baking stone in the oven and preheat to 450°F.

Carefully take out the hot baking sheet, and lifting the parchment papers with the breads, slide them on the hot pan. With a wet baker’s razor or with a pair of kitchen scissors make diagonal cuts in the surface of each loaf.

Sprinkle with water from a plant sprinkler and bake for 15 minutes, sprinkling quickly into the oven with water 3 more times. Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Do the same (sprinkle 3 times) for flat breads, but reduce the heat immediately after you put them in the oven.

Bake the loaves for 45 minutes more, the flat breads for about 25-30 minutes.

Wearing oven mitts and using a spatula, remove the breads from the pans and place directly on the oven rack. Bake for 5-10 minutes more, or until the bread sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom. An instant thermometer will read 200 or 205 F when breads are done.

Let cool completely on a rack before slicing.

The post My Bread and/or Laganes (flatbreads) appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Scroll down for Oven-roasted Patties, a VARIATION I developed for EATING WELL magazine

part of a piece about the healthy Cooking of Crete (March 2020).

. 

Makes 6 to 8 meze servings

4 cups grated zucchini (3-4 zucchini)

1 cup finely chopped onion, or bunch of scallions finely sliced/chopped, white and most of the green parts              

Salt

1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 cup grated hard myzithra, kefalotyri, Pecorino Romano, or Parmesan cheese

1/2 – 1 cup toasted whole-wheat breadcrumbs

1 large egg

1/2 cup chopped basil leaves

1 tablespoon Greek dried oregano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil and safflower oil, for frying

1 cup thick Greek yogurt (optional) or tzatziki

Toss the zucchini and onion with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and let them drain in a colander for at least 1 hour. Squeeze handfuls of the mixture to extract as much water as possible.

In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, parsley, cheese, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, egg, basil, oregano, and pepper to taste.

In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 1/2 inches of a combination of olive and safflower oil over medium-high heat to 350°F.

Make a test fritter: Stir the zucchini mixture and, using a spoon, scoop a heaping tablespoon (about the size of a golf ball). Fry in the hot oil, turning once, until browned, about 3 minutes. If too wet, adjust the texture with more breadcrumbs, as needed. Also correct the seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as necessary. Fry the rest of the fritters, in batches, and transfer to paper towels to drain.

Serve them hot or warm, accompanied with thick yogurt, if you like, or tzatziki. Also good at room temperature.

VARIATION

Oven-roasted Zucchini Turnovers

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Oil a baking sheet, or better line the pan with parchments paper and brush it with olive oil.

Stir the zucchini mixture and using a spoon or a ¼ measuring cup, scoop from the zucchini mixture and with the help of a second spoon dredge in the breadcrumb-flour, shape into a flattish patty and place on the lined baking dish. Shape the rest of the mixture then brush the patties liberally with olive oil and bake in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Depending on your oven, you may need to flip the patties after 15 minutes to get them evenly baked.

Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, with yogurt on the side, if you like…

The post Zucchini Fritters with Basil and Oregano appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Scroll down to see the variation with roasted vegetables, which makes the pie more substantial.  

Read more about the pie and our adventures to get the recipe.

Serves 4-6

2 sheets of home-made phyllo or 4 sheets commercial phyllo pastry

Filling :

1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese

1 cup crumbles myzithra or ricotta

2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk

Pinch of chopped fresh oregano or thyme (optional)

Good pinch Aleppo or red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 C).

Brush a 9 x 13 inch flameproof baking pan (or an equivalent round one) with olive oil or butter, then lay one home-made phyllo sheet, or two commercial sheets, lightly brushing with olive oil. Sprinkle with half the feta and myzithra cheeses.

Beat the milk and egg together and pour half the egg wash over the feta. Sprinkle with herbs and pepper flakes, if you like. Lay the second phyllo sheet (or 2 commercial sheets of phyllo) and generously brush with olive oil. Spread the rest of the cheese and drizzle with the remaining egg wash.

Bake for 20 minutes at the bottom of the oven. Check if the bottom is golden brown, lifting the pie with a large spatula. If not, continue baking for 10 more minutes, or as needed. Then, heat the broiler and bake the pie a few minutes right under the broiler, until golden brown and crisp.

Transfer to a wooden board and cut pieces to serve very hot.

VARIATION

Together with the feta cheese you spread over the first layer ( or layers) of phyllo, scatter about 2 cups diced olive-oil-rubbed, oven-roasted eggplants, peppers, zucchini, squash, or any combination –as I describe for the white eggplants. Then pour over the egg wash, and finish the pie with the second layer of phyllo etc. as described above. 

The post Kiki’s or ‘Lazy Woman’s Pie’ (Pita tis Tembelas) appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Crumble them over salads, like the one with beets and arugula, or slice the log-shaped cheese and serve it on its own as an appetizer, drizzled with good, fruity olive oil.

You can also preserve shanklish in jars, submerged in olive oil, in the refrigerator; it will keep for up to 4 months or more.

Adapted from my Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts

Detail from a photo by Penny De Los Santos

Sun-drying laban—a fresh cheese made by straining yogurt—was one means, before the invention of cold storage, to preserve perishable dairy products. The cheese was shaped into balls and then rolled in an aromatic mix of seasonings—za’atar, red pepper flakes, or a mixture of local herbs and spices—and then dried completely until rock-hard, finally ready for extended storage in clay jars.

These fermented, extremely pungent shanklish balls are a multipurpose spice in their own right. Ground with a mortar and pestle, they can be used to provide different dimensions of flavor to salads and vegetable dishes.

For about 32 golf-ball-size pieces, or 2 logs

THE CHEESE BALLS

¾ pound (340 g) feta cheese, crumbled

2 cups (500 g) full-fat Greek-style yogurt

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 teaspoons Maraş pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano

THE SPICE MIXTURE

⅓ cup (about 15 g) fresh thyme leaves

⅓ cup (about 35 g) coarsely ground coriander seeds

3 tablespoons coarsely ground pink peppercorns

¼ cup (25 g) dried thyme

2 to 3 teaspoons Maraş pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Olive oil, for preserving

Make the cheese balls: In a bowl, whisk together the feta, yogurt, garlic, Maraş pepper, and oregano.

Line a tray with parchment paper. Scoop out about ⅓ cup (80 ml) of the cheese mixture at a time (use a small ice cream scoop, if you have one) and place dollops on the tray, next to one another but not touching.

Place the tray in the refrigerator, uncovered, and leave for at least 2 days, until the mixture is dry enough to shape into balls.

Make the spice mixture: In a bowl, blend all the spice mixture ingredients well. Then spread the mixture on a plate. Roll the cheese balls in the spices to coat on all sides. Alternatively, you can knead 2 to 3 balls together and shape the mixture into small logs, then roll them in the spice mixture and dry. They can then be sliced and served on bread or drizzled with olive oil.

Place the formed shanklish (either the balls or logs) on a clean parchment paper–lined tray. Let dry in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days more.

Fill a jar with the dried cheese balls and add just enough olive oil to cover.

Keep in the refrigerator but take out an hour before serving and let come to room temperature, as the olive oil solidifies in the fridge.

The post Shanklish: Spicy Levantine Cheese appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan

I have only medium-small eggs –from our neighbors’ hens– so I increased the milk to 2\3 cup, and used the goat’s milk we drink with our coffee. Also, forgot to get parsley from the garden, so I omitted it –will add it next time. 

Rosemary and thyme, as well as the tangerine zest give it great aroma and complement beautifully the sweetness of the figs. “If you’d like, use olives or dried tomatoes instead of figs, basil instead of parsley, lemon instead of orange,”  Greenspan suggests;

she also notes that one can “experiment with other cheeses,” and this is exactly what I did.

“The loaf is pleasantly crumbly, and best enjoyed cut into thick slices,” she concludes.

Serves 8

4 moist, plump dried figs (such as Kalamata), cut into 1/4-inch bits

⅓ cup/20 grams finely chopped fresh parsley (optional –forgot to add it and didn’t miss it)

1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

1 ¾ cups/225 grams all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ -1  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 medium eggs, at room temperature

2/3 cup/80 milliliters whole milk, lukewarm (I used goat’s milk)

⅓ cup/80 milliliters olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

4 ounces/115 grams feta cheese cut in small dice

Zest of 1 clementine or 1/2 tangerine, or small orange

Center a rack in the oven and heat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Line with parchment paper an 8- to 9-inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, toss together the figs, parsley, if using, rosemary and thyme; keep at hand.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Working in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until blended, then whisk in the milk, oil and honey.

Pour the wet ingredients over the flour mixture, and, using a sturdy spatula, stir until the dough is almost blended. You’ll still see streaks of flour, and that’s fine. Scatter the fig mixture over the dough, along with the feta cheese. Grate the zest of the clementine or tangerine over the cheese. Using as few strokes as possible, stir everything together. Once again, it might not be perfect, and, once again, that’s fine.

Scrape the dough into the pan, and use the spatula to poke the dough into the corners and to even the bumpy top. Bake for 34 to 38 minutes or until the top is golden, the cake has started to pull away from the sides of the pan, and, most important, a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Unmold the cake onto a rack, turn it right side up and let it cool. You can serve the cake when it’s slightly warm (it’s not so easy to cut then, but it’s delicious) or when it is at room temperature. Cut into thick slices. Wrapped well, the cake keeps well for 3-4 days, if you can stop eating it…

The post Feta, Fig, and Herb Savory Cake, or Quick Bread appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

As far as cheese pies are concerned, we often make the crunchy Lazy Woman’s Pie. This galette-like cheese treat is the epitome of the day we devote to phyllo making during our Kea Artisanal Cooking vacation; all participants learn how to roll phyllo and the crunchy pie we whip up is such a delight! 

My mother’s tyropita must have been similar to the well-explained one I found online, accompanied with a video that you can follow easily, even if you don’t speak Greek.

Since we roll our own phyllo and hardly ever make pies with commercial phyllo I had not kept up with the latest technique of spraying the sheets with seltzer or water, a very interesting suggestion that somehow prevents them from drying out completely and becoming like paper, as they usually do.  

I make the creamy base using my basic olive-oil-yogurt béchamel. The olive-oil-egg wash that is brushed on the top layer is the same one we use for the delicious Chicken Pie and it makes a very big difference to the commercial phyllo.

Serves 6-8 as main course, and 10-13 as meze (11 X 15 inch –30 Χ 40 cm– pie) 

Yogurt and olive oil béchamel:

3   tablespoons olive oil

3   tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

1   cups full- fat plain yogurt (not Greek, strained)

About 1 cup grated Pecorino or aged cheddar, or Gruyere cheese

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Filling

 3 cups coarsely crumbled feta cheese

1 cup coarsely grated smoked cheddar, or smoked mozzarella

4 large eggs

1 packet frozen phyllo dough, preferably thick –take out of the freezer at least 2 hours to soften

About ½ cup olive oil

½ cup seltzer, club soda or water –better use a water spray bottle

Topping:

1 small egg mixed with 3 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 tablespoons Nigella seeds, sesame or poppy seeds

Preheat the oven to 375 F (about 200C)

Make the béchamel, whisk together the olive oil and flour, over moderate heat until frothy, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, whisk a bit longer and add the cold milk and yogurt. Cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, and don’t worry if the mixture looks lumpy. It will become smooth as it cooks and thickens. When it starts to boil, remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and pepper.  Taste, and add more cheese if you like.

Make the cheese filling: In a large bowl mix the feta and smoked cheese, add the eggs and toss to mix, then add the bechamel.

Assemble the pie: Look at the video that you can follow even if you don’t speak Greek.

Line a 11 X 15 inch (30 Χ 40 cm) pan with parchment paper and lightly brush with olive oil. Lay the first 2 phyllo sheets (or 4 if you use think sheets) leaving them to overhang all around the pan; brush with olive oil and spray with club soda or water, trhen lay another 4 sheets brushing with olive oil and spraying with water. 

Lay half of the filling on the phyllo, spreading evenly, then add one or two phyllo sheets (if you are using the thin ones) and add the rest of the filling, spreading it evenly. Keep 2 sheets of phyllo, and cover the filling with the remaining sheets, brushing with olive oil and spraying with water.

With the 2 remaining sheets make pleats at the top of the pie (see the video), and turn the overhanging phyllo to enclose the pie. Spray with some water and brush liberally with the egg-olive-oil mixture. Sprinkle with nigella, sesame or poppy seeds and bake in the center of the oven for about 45 minutes or 1 hour, until golden brown. Lift carefully the parchment paper to check if the bottom is baked; if not, place the pie low in the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Carefully lift the parchment paper and slide the pie on a rack to cool for 15-20 minuses, before transferring to a serving board to cut.

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