Cretan Meat Pie Kreatotourta Recipes

CRETAN MEAT PIE (KREATOTOURTA)

Steps:

• Dough (traditional way): Put the water in a large bowl and sprinkle it with the yeast. When you see some small bubbles on the surface of the water, you know that the yeast is working. Add the salt and oil. Mix this into the water, and add about 3 cups of flour to make dough. Add enough flour to make smooth, elastic and not very sticky dough.
• Dough (with kneading machine): I throw everything in the kneading machine for 10 minutes and it works perfectly, but I cannot assure you that it would be the same for you.
• Let the dough rise a little before putting it in the baking dish (20 minutes is enough).
• With 1/2 of the dough, roll out a piece to line a 34 cm tin (2 cm for folding).
• Place it on the greased baking tray.
• Season it with salt, pepper and oregano, according to taste.
• Place the meat chunks on it evenly.
• Sprinkle the mizithra over the meat, so that it spreads evenly over the pie.
• Sprinkle the mint over the cheese.
• Roll out another piece of pastry with the remaining dough.
• Cover the pie with the dough and seal it around the edges.
• Make a small opening at the top and bottom of the top pastry sheet (to let out trapped air in the pie while cooking).
• Brush the pie with the beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seed all over it.
• Cook the pie in a moderate (180°C / 350°F) oven for approximately 45 minutes; only the pastry needs to be cooked, while the meat and mizithra cheese will amalgamate inside the pie with the heat.
• Note: I used lamb meat cooked with my mastelo Recipe #440773 and some of this juice. Just prepare more than for a single meal. This keeps in refrigerator for 3 to 4 days at least. After this time the juice will be a jelly. I cannot find mizithra here, but I get the Turkish "çökelek" (a skim-milk cheese precipitate) which is dryer than mizithra; for this reason I use more meat juice.

GREEK FREIGHTER MEAT PIE

Steps:

• Heat oil and fry onions until soft.
• If using raw meat and potatoes, brown for 5 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of hot water (2 cups water if using rice).
• Add rice, herbs and seasonings.
• Cover and cook 20 min until meat is cooked and potatoes or rice are soft.
• Remove from heat.
• Mix in cheese, egg and nuts (and cooked meat if you didn't use raw meat).
• Melt butter and oil in small pot.
• Oil a square or rectangular baking pan.
• Lay half of the sheets of filo, oiling lightly between each sheet.
• Spread on meat filling.
• Lay remaining filo sheets, oiling between sheets.
• Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour.