Real African Dishes: [MC-AllEthnic-Recipes] Macedonian Savory Kasseri Cheese Pie

Thursday, October 6, 2011

[MC-AllEthnic-Recipes] Macedonian Savory Kasseri Cheese Pie

* Exported from MasterCook *

Macedonian Savory Kasseri Cheese Pie

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 11 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Veggie

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
For the pastry:
8 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups all-purpose flour -- to 6 cups, as needed
cornmeal -- as needed
For the filling:
3 1/2 cups unsalted butter -- 7 sticks, melted
1 1/2 pounds hard kasseri cheese -- grated
To serve:
1 cup greek-style yogurt, fat-free -- drained

MAKE THE DOUGH: In a large bowl, either by hand or with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the eggs together with the salt. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing it in with a wooden spoon until a dough mass begins to form. Knead the dough in the bowl, adding more flour if necessary, until it is pliant. It will be a little sticky. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, covered, at room temperature.

Divide the dough into 10 to 12 small balls. On a lightly floured work surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin or dowel, roll each ball in to a circle about 12-inches in diameter. Sprinkle a large tray with cornmeal. Place the phyllo in layers on the tray, sprinkling each layer with cornmeal to keep them from sticking together.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly oil a 12-inch by 2-inch deep baking pan.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place one sheet of phyllo in the pot and boil for 2 minutes. Remove carefully and rinse under cold running water in a colander. Drain well. Place the first sheet in the oiled pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and sprinkle with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the kasseri. Repeat with all the sheets, topping the pie with phyllo, not with a layer of cheese. Drizzle whatever butter remains over the top sheet. Score the pie into large diagonal wedges and bake until very lightly golden, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly i the pan, and serve with yogurt on the side.

Makes one 12-inch by 2-inch pie, serves 10 to 12

AuthorNote: Kasseropita is found all over Macedonia in various forms. Most common are the cheese-filled disks of puff pastry found at fast-food outlets and tyropitadika - cheese-pie emporiums. This version is considerably different. It is rich, Sunday afternoon food, the kind of dish made on special occasions and for big family feasts. Most likely it is a recipe that made its way to Greece via the immigrants from Constantinople. Pies like this are still made in Turkey today, delicious, rich, filled yufkas, and I also came across a very similar dish in Kos, which also has a large population of Asia Minor Greeks. What's unusual here is the pastry, which is essentially an egg-noodle dough, made without any water at all. Like pasta, the phyllo, oddly, is boiled before the pie is baked.

Cuisine:
"Greek"
Source:
"The Glorious Foods of Greece by Diane Kochilas, 2001"
S(Formatted by Chupa Babi):
"Oct 2011"
Yield:
"1 12-inch pie"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 1073 Calories; 81g Fat (68.1% calories from fat); 39g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 361mg Cholesterol; 1416mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 Grain(Starch); 4 Lean Meat; 13 1/2 Fat.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1034 0 0