You will love this non traditional take on a traditional prasopita. Prasopita is a leek pita or pie that is made with leeks, red onion, spring onion, dill, mint & feta. It is lesser known outside of Greece, however well loved among the natives.
Leeks, onions, shallots, garlic, spring onions, and chives are all part of the Allium genus. They are wonderful aromatics and are all very distinct. I love that this pita combines some of these so that it has a few layers of flavor to satisfy the appetite. The leeks, onions and garlic are slowly caramelized to the perfection. The herbs and spring onion add a certain freshness, the acidic lemon brightens up the flavors, while the salty feta and black pepper will balance out the sweetness of this pita.
It is usually made with homemade or store bought phyllo dough, and if you so desire, please go ahead and make it that way. The homemade phyllo, like my mother in law used to make is thicker and more rustic than the usual store bought super thin and flaky phyllo.
However, to keep this gluten free and lower in carbs, I opted to use a simple almond flour dough to create this pita. The pie shell and topping are based on the same method I use in my plastos recipe, which is a greens pie from Thessalia. It comes out a little bit crunchy and a bit more like a rustic tart. You will love it this way too!
Below is the link to that recipe if you wish to try it out.
Plastos Greens Pie from Trikala, Greece
The filling is the same no matter which way you make it!
One of my favorite things about Greek cuisine are the variations of pita that we make. Be it savory or sweet, they can vary from region to region, island to island, village to village, even family to family. Each home cook has their specialty, and gives it that loving touch that distinguishes it from everyone else’s version.
The measurements used are perfect for a 9 inch pice pan.
Ingredients:
1 leek
1 small red onion (1/2 a large one)
4 spring onions
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp fresh chopped dill
2 tbsp fresh chopped mint
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup feta cheese
For the base of the crust:
1 1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup water
Salt & pepper.
For the top:
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup water
Salt & pepper
Directions:
Start by washing and slicing your leek. Note that the edible part of the leek is the yellow white area. the green stems are very tough, and we don’t usually use them in a recipe. Discard those. Leeks collect a lot of dirt. I find the best way to clean them is to rinse off what is visible on the outside, cut off the base, slice it down the center & then chop it. Then i place them in a large bowl of water and shake them around to loosen up the dirt. Remove them from the water, pour out and rinse that bowl. And then repeat it one more time. A third if necessary.
Now, sautee your leeks to soften them in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to this. While this is happening, slice your red onion and chop your garlic clove. Add these to the leeks. Continue to cook. Turn the heat to low and cover. Let them caramelize, and the flavors will come together. This took around 20 minutes on low. You will know when they are ready when the mixture has acquired that beautiful sweet flavor that happens from caramelization.
Remove from the heat and place the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add your chopped spring onions, dill and mint. Be generous with the black pepper so that you balance out the sweetness of the onions and leeks.
Add in the crumbled feta cheese. I like the feta to be a little chunky in this pie, instead of tiny crumbles. Its a texture preference. Taste it to see if it needs any salt. It likely will not because of the saltiness of the feta.
Add lemon juice, lemon zest and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Mix together and set aside.
Grease your 9 inch pie pan with a little bit of olive oil and set aside.
Now to create the pie base. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the almond flour, olive oil, water, salt and pepper. Your mixture should be a semi tight ball of dough. You are going to press it into the pie pan. If it is too loose, add a little more almond flour.
Then add the leeks mixture on top of the pressed crust.
Make the topping by combining the almond flour, water, salt and pepper. This mixture should resemble pancake batter. Pour it over the filling, allowing some of the filling to peek through. Drizzle a little olive oil over it. Bake it at 375 F for around 50 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing into the pie.
Kali Oreksi!
on xenia street 