Mary Politis from Mary’s Kouzina is sharing her recipe for the most beautifully golden and crumbly Kolokithopita (Pumpkin and cheese pie).
You will need:
3-4 eggs.
4 cups grated pumpkin.
1 large grated onion.
1 cup crumbled feta cheese.
½ cup grated kefalogaviera cheese.
½ cup olive oil.
1 cup chopped fresh dill or fennel fronds.
½ cup chopped fresh mint.
2 cups self-raising flour or 1 ½ cups semolina.
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 box or 375g Fillo pastry .
Olive oil for brushing layers.
Sesame seeds for sprinkling over filo.
Tips before you begin.
1. If you intend to use self-raising flour, it is important to squeeze out the excess liquid from the grated pumpkin using a cloth.
2. If you intend to use semolina, squeezing the pumpkin is not an essential step as it will absorb all the liquid from the pumpkin but still can be done.
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 170-180 degrees Celsius
2. Combine all pumpkin mixture ingredients into one bowl.
3. Grease a 12” baking tray generously with olive oil. Line single sheets of Antoniou Fillo pastry into your baking tray brushing olive oil in between each layer. Start the base with about 6-7 layers.
4. Spoon pumpkin filling into the tray and spread it our evenly over the fillo pastry and fold the overhanging edges in.
5. Add another 5-7 layers of fillo pastry on top of the pumpkin mixture with olive oil brushed in between each layer and tuck the edges into the sides. Be sure to also brush the top layer with olive oil and gently cut through the pastry with a sharp knife.
6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Allow the Kolokithopita to cool slightly before cutting.
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