Eggplant Pie

No ratings yet

A delicious eggplant pie all made from scratch with homemade phyllo and a flavorful filling loaded with sweet red peppers, tomato, herbs, feta, and Kefalotyri cheese.

Prep Time50

Cook Time1 30

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Keyword: Oven baked, pie

Servings: pieces

Calories: 232kcal

Ingredients

For The Pie Filling:

1.1 Kg (2.4 pounds) eggplant
150 grams (1 large) onion minced
300 grams (10 ounces) sweet red peppers finely diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
80 grams (⅓ cup) crushed tomatoes (canned) or fresh, ripe, grated tomatoes
1½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon fresh basil minced
300 grams (10 ounces) feta cheese coarsely crumbled
70 grams (½ cup) grated Kefalotyri cheese see text above for substitutions
olive oil

For The Filo Dough:

300 grams (2½ cups) all-purpose flour + extra for rolling the filo
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar other types work too
160 ml (⅔ cup) water might need slightly more or less
100 ml olive oil for brushing the filo
1-2 tablespoons sesame seeds to sprinkle on top of the pie

Instructions

Prepare the eggplant. Cut off the tops and bottoms. Then dice into small pieces. Soak in plenty of water for at least 30 minutes. Then drain in a strainer.
Make the filo dough. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Pour in the olive oil, then slowly add the water while kneading the dough. It should feel sticky but without leaving fragments on your hands.
Rest the dough. Shape the dough into a ball. Dust the top and bottom with flour. Cover the bowl with a dampened tea towel or plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a medium-sized cooking pot or large saute pan.
Saute the onions then add the eggplant in batches. Season with salt. Cook until soft and mellow. The more you cook the eggplant at this point the stronger its flavor will be inside the filling.
Add the red peppers and cook for a minute.
Stir in the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Cook until the filling drains to the point where it starts to get sticky at the bottom. Take the pot off the heat.
Add the dried oregano, paprika, and basil. Stir and set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
Shape the filo dough into a log and cut it into 6 pieces. Each piece is a filo. 2 for the bottom, one between the filling layers, and 3 for the top of the pie.
Shape each piece into a round ball and keep aside, covered.
Make the first filo. Dust the work surface with flour and place the dough ball. Dust the dough ball with flour also. Start rolling in all directions with a rolling pin until you have a round filo big enough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Always dust the bottom and top of the filo with flour as you roll, so it won't stick. Also, flip the filo as seen in the video below.
Brush a 31 cm (12-inch) round pan with olive oil.
Roll the filo around the rolling pin and then unroll it inside the pan. Gently pull it a bit to cover the sides. Brush with olive oil.
Make the second filo. Make another filo, this time the size of the pan's bottom. Add it to the pan and brush with olive oil.
Stir the Feta and Kefalotyri cheese into the filling.
Spread half the filling in the pan.
Top with another filo. Brush it with olive oil.
Add the remaining filling.
Top with 3 more filos. Brush each one with olive oil. Overlap the edges of the bottom filo to create a nice pie edging.
Cut the pie into 16 pieces (try not to cut the bottom filo) and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake for about an hour on the lower rack until golden brown and crispy.
Rest the pie at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Nutrition