New grains and pulses are here! Straight from northern Greece, chickpeas, lentils, fava, bulgur and many more. There is nothing more comforting than a warm soup of nutritious grains or pulses to fight winter blues. Hm. Maybe except a pie.
Greeks are famous for their pies. Any Greek cook will know how to make a pie. Or they will know someone who makes them. They used to be the food of the poor. Even today, you would make the filling with whatever’s in your fridge.
Today we are making a pie with bulgur and (what else) feta cheese. This recipe is by a Greek chef Nikos Katsanis, adapted for you.
For one large baking tray
2 sheets of puff pastry
230g bulgur
30g semolina flour
650ml of whole milk plus more if needed
2 eggs plus one more for glazing
170g crumbled feta cheese
A few springs of mint (or other herb of your linking)
Olive oil for the pan
Salt, pepper to taste
In a pot warm up the milk and just before it reaches its boiling point, add the bulgur and cook until bulgur is tender, approximately 15 minutes, stirring regularly, adding some more splashes of milk if needed. Add the semolina flour and stir for another 10-15 minutes until you get a thick cream-like mixture. Turn off the heat and let it cool, stirring every so often so that no crust is formed.
Once the mixture is cooled down, add the feta cheese, eggs and mint (you need the mixture to be cool so that you don’t cook the eggs with the heat). Season with salt and pepper.
Oil your baking tray and lay the one sheet of puff pastry. Place the bulgur-feta mixture and spread it evenly, using your fingers or the back of a spoon. Place the other sheet of puff pastry on top and pinch together the edges. If there is leftover puff pastry and you are feeling creative cut shapes of your linking and “glue” them on top using some water. Brush the pie with the beaten egg-this will give is a lovely shiny colour.
Bake at 180 degrees for approximately 40 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked at the top and bottom.
Serve with some Greek wine!
