Zucchini Feta And Dill Pie Recipes

FETA PHYLLO AND ZUCCHINI PIE

Steps:

• Set zucchini in a colander, sprinkle with salt and drain for 1 hour. Squeeze out excess moisture from zucchini then cook it for a few minutes in olive oil. Season to taste from salt and pepper and set aside to cool slightly.
• In a mixing bowl combine the eggs with the milk, feta cheese, parsley, dill, and bread crumbs. Add the cooked zucchini and adjust the seasoning, using lots of pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 by 13-inch deep baking pan. Layer a sheet of phyllo so that it overlaps baking pan and extends beyond the rim. Brush the sheet very lightly with melted butter and cover with another phyllo sheet. Continue this way until half of the phyllo has been used. Add the zucchini and spread it out evenly. Fold overhanging phyllo up over the squash filling and brush with melted butter. Lay remaining phyllo leaves on top, again brushing melted butter between the layers. Brush top well with butter, score top layers with a sharp knife and bake for an hour. Cool and serve with a green salad or a vegetable salad of green beans, tomatoes and olives.

CRUSTLESS ZUCCHINI AND FETA PIE

Steps:

• Grate zucchini using the largest holes of a box grater. Place in a colander, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and let drain for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in Greek yogurt and 1/3 cup olive oil. Add flour and whisk until well combined.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush a 12-inch round baking pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle 1/2 of the bread crumbs over the bottom.
• Place zucchini in a cheesecloth or kitchen towel; bring the ends together and twist to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• Transfer zucchini to the bowl with the egg-flour mixture. Add bell pepper, onion, black pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and but 2 tablespoons crumbled feta; mix well. Use a spatula to spread mixture into an even layer in the prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining feta over top, followed by remaining bread crumbs.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pie is set and top is golden brown, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool 20 minutes before cutting.

GREEK ZUCCHINI AND HERB PIE

Steps:

• Grate the zucchini using a food processor or a hand grater. Place in a large colander, salt generously, and let drain for 1 hour, pressing down on it occasionally to squeeze out liquid. After an hour, take up handfuls and squeeze out moisture (or wrap in a kitchen towel and twist the towel to squeeze out the moisture). Place in a bowl.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes, then add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about one minute. Transfer to the bowl with the zucchini. Stir in the herbs, feta, eggs and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 10-inch pie or cake pan. If using phyllo, line the pie dish with seven pieces of phyllo, lightly brushing each piece with oil and turning the dish after each addition so that the edges of the phyllo drape evenly over the pan. Fill with the zucchini mixture. Fold the draped edges in over the filling, lightly brushing the folded in sheets of phyllo, then layer the remaining five pieces on top, brushing each piece with olive oil. Stuff the edges into the sides of the pan. If using the olive oil pastry, divide the dough into two equal pieces. Roll out the first ball to a circle 2 inches wider than the pan. Line the pan with the pastry, and brush with olive oil. Top with the filling. Roll out the remaining dough. Place over the filling. Press the edges of the top and bottom layers of dough together, and pinch to form an attractive lip around the edge.
• Make a few slashes in the top crust so that steam can escape as the pie bakes. Score in a few places with the tip of a knife, and brush with olive oil. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool 15 to 30 minutes or to room temperature. Slice in wedges and serve.

ZUCCHINI, FETA AND DILL PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C Butter a 22cm square cake tin and line the base and sides with buttered baking paper. Dust the tin with the polenta, tap out the excess, and set tin aside.
• Pile the grated zucchini into a large sieve or colander, sit a plate on top to weigh it down a little and leave zucchini to drain really well.
• Break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk them together. Add the oil, chives and dill, mint or basil and whisk them inches
• Press down firmly on the plate over the zucchini to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Stir the grated zucchini into the egg mixture. Crumble in most of the feta (reserving a little for the top of the pie) along with the parmesan, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the flour and mix in until it is combined (wearing disposable gloves and mixing by hand is good, as mixture gets quite thick). Spread the batter into the prepared tin and sprinkle the reserved feta over the top. Gently press the cherry tomato halves, cut side up, into the surface of the pie.
• Bake pie for 45-50 minutes, or until the top of the pie is springy when pressed. (It's a bit hard to know when it's cooked. Belinda Jeffery's suggests -- Her first attempt seemed ready after 30 minutes but when she took it out and let it cool a little she realised it was still squishy in the centre, so she put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes (thank goodness it's forgiving!). So when you think it's cooked, make sure the top is quite bouncy, and to double-check, insert the tip of a fine knife down into the middle and press the two sides of the cut apart - it should look quite set.
• When it's ready, take the pie out of the oven and cool it in the tin for 10 -15 minutes. If you're feeling game you can just gently grasp the baking paper and lift the pie out of the tin onto a serving plate, then slide the paper out from underneath. Or, put a wire rack on top and invert the pie onto the rack. Peel away the paper, then sit your serving platter on top of the pie and invert it again onto this. Tidy up any straggly bits and brush the tomatoes with a little oil. Scatter some mint leaves or sprigs on top and serve.