Welcome to my Cretan table! =) I am absolutely in love with this cuisine. Everybody loves Mediterranean diet, however not many people know Cretan cuisine. Cretans have the longest span of life in the world and can we guess why? All the food they eat is fresh, right from their garden into their salad. They like to eat slow, drink slow, chat long, have fun, be friendly, enjoy their day and not stress about things. I feel very lucky because I got to know Cretan food from first hand experience. My husband is from this beautiful island and we spend every summer there. Each and every time I go, I always dream about the delicious food I am going to have there. So when we come back, we try to bring a piece of Crete on our plates. This recipe is one of the first dishes I had at a village taverna. My husband tried it when I made at home and says it is like the original one, so I can share it here. =) In Istanbul, sometimes I serve it at tea tables because we like savoury warm pies for tea time. You can have it as a main course for lunch or dinner as well.
Ingredients:
5-6 sticks of leek
400 gr of minced meat (preferably lamb, beef will also do)
3 table spoons of tomato purée
1 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
A pinch of red pepper
350 gr of flour
1/2 cups of olive oil
1/2 cups of milk
A pinch of salt
1 egg
Sesame seeds and black cumin seeds
How to:
1. Put two table spoons of olive oil onto a pan. When the oil is heated, add the mince meat and start cooking.
2. Meanwhile, wash the leek and chop finely. After the minced meat has changed colour, add the leeks and fry together. Add three table spoons of grated tomatoes and mix, then sprinkle the grated nutmeg. Nutmeg is essential to the Cretan dishes and it gives a very nice smell to the food you cook, especially with minced beef. Season with salt, pepper and a tiny bit of chilli pepper. Leave to simmer for a while on low heat.
3. On a clean counter, sieve 350 grams of flour, make a well and pour the olive oil and milk and start kneading it into a dough. If you feel like the dough is too sticky, you can add a little bit of flour; in the opposite way, if it is too solid add some olive oil or milk to soften it. It has to be a tough pie dough that doesn't stick to the hand.
4. Divide the dough into two. Roll one piece out with a rolling pin and carefully transfer to the oven dish or casserole dish (which you oiled beforehand). We need a deep tray for this recipe. It will have a thin layer at the bottom and on top.
5. After the first layer of pastry is spread evenly (you can also do it by hand), pour in the leek and beef mixture. If your mixture is runny and you are worried that it will soften the dough and make it soggy, just sprinkle a handful of bulghur onto the bottom. This way the bulghur will take the excessive water and prevent your crispy pie dough from going soft.
6. Next, we roll out the second piece of dough in order to cover everything and make a nice cap on our pie. If you like puffy pastry, you can add a little bit of baking powder into this bit of dough before spreading it over the top.
7. The last step, lightly whisk one egg and brush it on the top dough. Sprinkle generous amount of sesame seeds and black cumin seeds. It is ready to go into 190 degrees hot oven and bake for 45 minutes, until the top crust is golden and crunchy.
8. Serve when warm. It can keep in the fridge for at least two days and it is very easy to warm in the microwave. Your guests will totally adore this recipe; even people who don't eat leek lick their fingers with this yummy pie. Bon apetit!
I like to serve it with fresh thyme on top and some old cheese, like cheddar cheese.
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