Five Historic Athenian Souvlaki Joints
Souvlaki joints started appearing in earnest...
A savory, flavorsome pie with dill and cheese to start the day
Chef: Maria Kousathana
Preparation & Cooking time: 110'
Maria Kousathana, whose children own Rochari Hotel, prepares large trays of this delicious onion pie every day for the breakfast service. It is a hearty pie with a bready crust and plenty of sweet onion in the filling to offset the slightly tart tyrovolia cheese.
PREPARATION
Mix all the ingredients for the pastry in a bowl, add around 30ml of tepid water and knead into a soft, smooth dough. Cover in plastic wrap and rest for half an hour. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 190°C on the air setting and mix all the stuffing ingredients in another bowl.
Once the dough has rested, flour a large, smooth surface and cut the dough into two pieces, one slightly larger (the base) than the other (the cover). Roll out until you have two sheets approximately 3cm thick. Grease your baking dish and lay out the bigger of the two pieces on the bottom and along the sides. Pour in the stuffing mixture and even it out with the back of a spoon. Add the second layer of pastry on top and tuck in the edges. Brush the crust with some olive oil and use the tip of a sharp knife to score the surface into square or diamond portions. Bake for an hour until golden brown. If the bottom is still uncooked, cover with tin foil and cook for a few more minutes.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- ½ kg all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 150ml olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
For the filling:
- 3 large onions, grated
- 1 bunch dill
- 1kg tyrovolia cheese
- Salt, pepper
(for a 28cm baking dish)
