Creamy, sweet, and savory leek pie with crunchy homemade phyllo. It's Greek Prasopita, one of the most delicious Greek pies you can make!
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We love pies in Greece, we have a pie recipe for almost any ingredient (almost!). Be it meat (such as Lamb Pie, Chicken Pie, Ground Meat Pie, etc), vegetables (like Greens Pie, Spinach Pie, Zucchini Pie, Squash Pie, or Vegetable Pie), or even fish (I haven't uploaded one yet).
A homemade pie is one of the best ways to turn any ingredient you have in abundance, into a filling food to feed a whole family. Furthermore, it's a food you needn't reheat to eat, you can just grab a piece of it whenever you're hungry. Especially the homemade phyllo dough pies. They're so filling and delicious like this leek pie here.
What Is Prasopita Made Off
Prasopita is made of a thickened, creamy, milk, and feta cheese filling loaded with sauteed leeks. I'm using olive oil for the filling, however, some people like to use butter to saute the leeks. Also, I'm using some fresh chopped parsley but another herb that's often used is dill, which goes also well.
To make a thick filling for Prasopita we use flour and egg. The flour is added to the sauteed leeks to make a thick flour paste combined with the oil (or butter if that's what's used). Then pour in some warm milk, and once thickened and cooled down a bit, stir in a whole egg.
Another ingredient that helps thicken the filling is Kefalotyri cheese. A hard Greek cheese that's salty and sharp. If you can't find it you can substitute it with Romano, Parmesan, Pecorino, or even Gruyere cheese.
As for the pie crust for Prasopita, you can use homemade phyllo which is so good with this pie. Or store-bought phyllo dough which is also good, but removes some of the rustic feel of the pie.
Making Homemade Phyllo
Making homemade phyllo is easier than it sounds. To begin with, you need a soft stretchy dough. To achieve this you need to knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes depending on the strength you are using, you may also use a stand mixer with a hook attachment.
Once the dough looks almost smooth, allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes. This gives time for the gluten to develop within the dough and make it stretchy. Stretchy dough means phyllo that doesn't tear or break easily.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that the dough needs to be moist, not dry. To roll open the phyllo you dust flour on the dough and as you roll, the dough absorbs the flour and grows bigger in size.
If the dough is dry it won't be as easy to roll into a phyllo. Bottom line, the dough should feel moist almost sticky but without leaving fragments on your hands (similar to bread dough).
Homemade Phyllo Alternatives
You can use store-bought phyllo or puff pastry instead of homemade phyllo for this leek pie recipe.
Using Store-bought Phyllo: Use 5 phyllo sheets for the bottom and 3 phyllo sheets for the top of the pie. Overlap the excess phyllo that hangs out of the pan on top of the pie and make sure to brush each phyllo sheet lightly with olive oil.
Using Puff Pastry: Use one piece of puff pastry for the bottom and one for the top of the pie. Make sure the bottom piece is big enough to cover the walls of the pan and create a pie edge on top. Also, prick the bottom piece of puff pastry with a fork a couple of times before adding the filling.
How To Make Prasopita
- Make the phyllo dough and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the filling by sauteing the leeks until golden and softened, then stir in the flour and milk.
- Allow filling to cool.
- Mix the egg, Feta, Kefalotyri cheese, and parsley into the filling.
- Cut and divide the dough into 5 pieces.
- Roll 3 phyllo's for the bottom of the pie, brushing with olive oil in between.
- Spread the filling.
- Top with 2 more phyllo and overlap the edges to create a pie edge.
- Scar the pie on top dividing it into pieces (cutting only the top phyllo).
- Bake for about an hour.
- Allow the pie to cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour before cutting and serving.
Make Ahead
You can make leek pie ahead of time and keep it in the fridge overnight or in the freezer for up to a month.
Reheating
There's no need to reheat this pie, it's much more flavorful at room temperature. But if you want to do so, cover the pan with aluminum foil and reheat in the oven at 180°C / 355°F for 15-20 minutes.
Recipe
Greek Leek Pie With Feta + Homemade Phyllo
Ingredients
For The Leek Pie Filling:
- 8 tablespoons olive oil
- 500 grams (5-6 cups) chopped leeks mostly the white part
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups warm milk
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 150 grams (1 cup) Feta cheese crumbled
- 50 grams (¼ cup) grated Kefalotyri cheese or other hard cheese such as Romano, Pecorino, or Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- freshly ground pepper
For The Homemade Phyllo Dough:
- 400 grams (4 cups + 2 tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or other vinegar
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 200-220 ml lukewarm water
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp olive oil for brushing the phyllo +the pan
- + extra flour to roll the phyllo dough
Instructions
Prepare the phyllo dough:
- In a mixing bowl combine flour and salt.
- Add 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and the lukewarm water.
- Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until almost smooth (by hand or use a stand mixer with a hook attachment). The dough should feel moist and soft without leaving fragments on your hands.
- Rest the dough. Dust the bottom of a mixing bowl with flour and place the round dough ball. Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Prepare the filling:
- Heat 6 tablespoons olive oil in a saute pan.
- Add the leeks, season with salt, and cook over moderate heat until softened and golden in color. Remove from the heat. Add the 2 remaining tablespoons of olive oil.
- Stir in the flour. Once fully combined pour in the milk. Transfer back to the heat.
- Cook until creamy and thickened. Then remove from the heat and set aside to cool down a bit.
- Mix in the feta and Kefalotyri cheese, parsley, and egg. Season with freshly ground pepper.
Make The Leek Pie:
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F.
- Cut and divide the dough into 5 pieces. Shape each one into a round ball. Place on a floured surface and cover with a dampened tea towel so they won't air-dry.
- Roll the phyllo. Flatten a dough ball into a round disk shape. Place it on a lightly floured working surface and dust it with flour on top as well. Roll the dough in all directions to keep its round shape. Flip the dough and dust with flour the working surface and the top of the dough again. Repeat the process until you have a phyllo about 40 cm in diameter (it should be slightly bigger than the pan).
- Grease a round 12-inch pan (30 cm) with plenty of olive oil and spread it evenly with a brush.
- Add phyllo to the pan. Wrap the phyllo around your rolling pin and then unwrap over the pan (it should be hanging out on the sides, and it's okay if tears a bit). Brush phyllo with olive oil.
- Make 2 more phyllo for the bottom. Brush each one with olive oil when you add them to the pan.
- Add the filling and spread it evenly with a spoon.
- Make 2 phyllo for the top of the pie. The top two phyllo should be big enough to fit inside the pan (hold the pan over the rolled phyllo to check it is the same size).
- Trim the edges of the 3rd bottom phyllo leaving only the first 2 bottom phyllo edges. Overlap each one to create a pie edging on top. Brush well with olive oil in between so they cook properly and become crispy.
- Divide the pie into 8 pieces by scaring the top phyllos with a knife. Don't cut all the way to the bottom.
- Bake for about 1 hour until the phyllo looks golden brown and crunchy. Shake the pan to see if the pie is cooked at the bottom as well. It should move inside the pan when you shake it.
- Cool the pie. Allow the pie to cool for at least 30 minutes or 1 hour before cutting and serving. To help it keep crisp place the pan on a cooling rack so it can cool properly at the bottom without softening. Also, run a knife through the cuts to help steam from within the filling to escape.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
As good as it gets. The only pitas I love as much are
chicken, or butternut squash, or spinach, or mixed greens.