Kreatopetes Recipes

GREEK MEAT PIE (KREATOPITA)

Steps:

• Filling: Place sliced onion in a colander. Pour salted boiled water over them, rinse and drain well.
• Add onions to a coated pan and fry for 2 minutes.
• Add beef, cinnamon, salt and pepper and stir well.
• Add 1/2 cup of water and boil until just the mixture is left.
• Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and cool.
• Prepare béchamel Sauce by melting butter in small pan whisk in flour and add hot milk. Whisk.
• Add 3 eggs, cheese, bread and béchamel sauce to the filling and set aside.
• Pastry: Combine the pastry ingredients, except for the egg yolk/milk, in a mixing bowl.
• Knead it into a pliable, non-sticky dough.
• Separate the dough into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other.
• Take the larger ball and roll out enough to more than cover your oven dish. Place it in a buttered pie pan, covering the bottom, and sides, going slightly over the edge at the top.
• Now place the filling on top of the crust and level it.
• Roll out the second dough ball and cover the filling.
• Butter the edge of the bottom crust and fold it over inwards to cover the edge of the top crust and make a border by pressing the edges with your fingertips.
• Mix the milk and egg yolk and brush the surface with the mixture.
• Poke a hole in the middle to allow the steam to escape and stick the rest of the pastry with a fork.
• Place in a preheated oven at 325F degrees for about 45 minutes, until it is golden brown.

KREATOPITA ARGOSTOLI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and chop.
• Lightly brush a 9x13 inch pan with melted butter. Place 1 phyllo sheet in pan and lightly brush with butter. Continue adding phyllo sheets for a total of 12, brushing each one lightly with butter (you don't need to completely cover each phyllo sheet with butter).
• Spread cooked rice over phyllo, then sprinkle with minced garlic. Add lamb in an even layer, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Place 1 cup diced potatoes over lamb.
• Arrange quarters of eggs, then sprinkle with parsley, mint and lemon zest. Add crumbled feta cheese.
• Pour on olive oil and beef broth. Sprinkle with oregano and pepper. Finally, add beaten egg.
• Top with remaining 12 phyllo sheets brushed lightly with melted butter.
• Bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). during the last 10 minutes, raise the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Cut into diamonds or squares and serve warm.

KREATOPETES

Steps:

• FILO STORAGE AND PREPARATION:.
• Thaw frozen filo, still in the unopened package, in the refrigerator. This will take about 8 hours. Avoid thawing at room temperature as rapid thawing creates moisture and may cause the sheets to stick together.
• Fresh or thawed filo has a storage life in the refrigerator of 3 to 4 weeks.
• For easiest handling, let the unopened filo stand at room temperature (not over 80 degrees F) for at least 1 hour before using it.
• After opening a box of filo, place the unused sheets in a sealable plastic bag, and refrigerate them until your next project.
• FILLING:.
• In a large frying pan over medium heat, cook the onion and garlic in the 2 tablespoons butter until the onion is limp. Crumble in the beef; cook until it is browned. Drain and discard the drippings.
• In a bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, water, salt, allspice, and pepper until smooth. Stir this mixture into the meat mixture. Cover the pan, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the cover, and cook the mixture briefly, until it is thick and the liquid has evaporated. Remove the pan from heat, and set the mixture aside to cool.
• Tip: taste the filling before wrapping and add additional seasonings if necessary. If it tastes good in the bowl, you'll know it tastes good in the final product!
• ASSEMBLY (Using a rounded teaspoon of filling for each, fill, fold, and bake the triangles according to the following instructions):.
• Lay a sheet of filo horizontally on a work surface. Brush lightly with melted butter, nor more than 2 teaspoons per sheet. Lay a second sheet of filo over the first, and brush it with butter.
• Cut the filo crosswise into five equal strips about 3 inches wide and 12 inches long.
• Place a rounded teaspoon of filling on one end of each strip. Fold over one corner to make a triangle. Fold the triangle over again on itself. Continue folding, from one side to the other, as if you were folding a flag. When you come to the end of this folding exercise, simply trim off with a knife, any extra filo too small to tuck under.
• After folding five triangles, place them on an ungreased baking sheet and butter the tops. You can leave the tops plain if you use only one kind of filling, but if you wrap a variety of fillings, identify each kind with a topping such as poppy seeds or sesame seeds.
• After folding the appetizers, cover and refrigerate for use in the next 24 hours; otherwise, freeze them solid on the baking sheet, then transfer them to containers with tight-fitting lids and return them to the freezer.
• Bake the triangles, uncovered, in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes (20 to 25 minutes if frozen) or until they are golden brown.