Greek Meat Pie Recipes

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, coat bottom of pan with olive oil and add ground beef (and mushrooms, if using). Cook, breaking up meat with back of spoon, and stirring often until meat and mushrooms are browned and liquid emitted has evaporated (make sure all the liquid has evaporated - you don't want a soggy pita!).
• Add onions, garlic, tomato paste, oregano and cinnamon and cook until liquid emitted from onions has evaporated, too.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times to bring hot filling up (to cool faster).
• Add cheese, parsley and eggs to meat filling and combine thoroughly to blend. Taste filling and adjust seasoning to suit your taste.
• In a 15 x 10 inch pan (or large pan), layer half the phyllo sheets, brushing each one generously with olive oil (use a pastry brush), before adding the next sheet of pastry.
• Pour the meat filling into the phyllo-lined pan.
• Layer the remaining phyllo sheets in the same way, over the filling, brushing each one generously with olive oil before adding the next sheet of pastry. When you reach the last sheet (the top one), brush this one slightly more generously than the rest, tuck in any overhang you have neatly into the pie and score pie, lengthwise, into 4, using the tip of a small, sharp knife and making sure you don't cut all the way through the bottom of the pastry (just the top crust and slightly into the filling).
• Position baking rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 190°C (375°F).
• Bring your pan next to the sink and run the cold water tap. Wet the tips of your fingers and shake the water onto the pastry. Do this a few times to ensure droplets of water fall all over the pastry (this ensures a crisp crust upon baking).
• Bake pie for approximately one hour, until you achieve a deep golden crust. If you have a flat-bottomed oven (no element), do put your pan on the floor of the oven for the last 20 minutes or so to ensure an even crisper bottom crust.
• The pita is best slightly warm or at room temperature.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• In a skillet, saute ground meat in olive oil with onions until browned; season with salt, oregano and pepper; add tomato sauce & cinnamon.
• In a small bowl, beat eggs and stir in Parmesan cheese; when ground meat has cooled, fold in the eggs and cheese mixture.
• Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan; arrange six sheets of Phyllo pastry on bottom of pan, buttering each sheet with the melted butter.
• Spread a layer of cooled meat mixture evenly on Phyllo & cover with remaining six phyllo sheets, brushing each with melted butter.
• Trim edges of Phyllo to fit pan with a sharp knife; slice through top of pastry to form diamond shapes.
• Bake in a preheated 350°F oven until pastry is golden crisp, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• May be served hot or cold.

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.

Steps:

• For the filling:
• Heat the EVOO in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the meat, brown and crumble. Remove the meat and drain off the fat. Melt the butter in the same pot and add the zest, oregano, garlic, onions and some salt and pepper. Cook to tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Then add the fresh herbs, stir. Add the flour, stir a minute or so and then whisk in the stock. Cook to thicken a little. Add the meat back in along with the lemon juice and spinach. Combine. Turn off the heat, cool and store for a make-ahead meal. Reheat over medium heat until hot. Stir in the feta crumbles just before serving.
• For the puff pastry topper:
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Flour a work surface and lightly roll out the puff pastry. Cut the size and shape of 1 large casserole or up to 6 individual bowls or large ramekins, using sharp paring knife. Place the dough on a nonstick baking sheet and wash with egg. Bake until evenly puffed and deep golden brown in color.
• Serve the hot filling in a casserole dish or individual bowls topped with the pastry.

Steps:

• Heat oil and fry onions until soft.
• If using raw meat and potatoes, brown for 5 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of hot water (2 cups water if using rice).
• Add rice, herbs and seasonings.
• Cover and cook 20 min until meat is cooked and potatoes or rice are soft.
• Remove from heat.
• Mix in cheese, egg and nuts (and cooked meat if you didn't use raw meat).
• Melt butter and oil in small pot.
• Oil a square or rectangular baking pan.
• Lay half of the sheets of filo, oiling lightly between each sheet.
• Spread on meat filling.
• Lay remaining filo sheets, oiling between sheets.
• Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour.

Steps:

• Put the spinach into a large pan. Pour over a couple tbsp water, then cook until just wilted. Tip into a sieve, leave to cool a little, then squeeze out any excess water and roughly chop. Roughly chop the tomatoes and put into a bowl along with the spinach, feta and eggs. Mix well.
• Carefully unroll the filo pastry. Cover with some damp sheets of kitchen paper to stop it drying out. Take a sheet of pastry and brush liberally with some of the sundried tomato oil. Drape oil-side down in a 22cm loosebottomed cake tin so that some of the pastry hangs over the side. Brush oil on another piece of pastry and place in the tin, just a little further round. Keep placing the pastry pieces in the tin until you have roughly three layers, then spoon over the filling. Pull the sides into the middle, scrunch up and make sure the filling is covered. Brush with a little more oil.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Cook the pie for 30 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the cake tin, slice into wedges and serve with salad.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, except for the pie crust, of course! (An oil pastry does work best--or phyllo can be used instead.).
• Put the bottom crust in a 10" pie pan, fill with the beef and rice mixture, and top with the top crust, crimping the edge.
• Bake for 45 minutes or until the top crust is golden.
• Let cool for a few minutes and then serve!

Steps:

• Prepare the dough placing flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in 1/3 cup olive oil, white wine, water, and salt. Mix together with your hands for a few minutes to form a smooth dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while proceeding with recipe.
• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook for a few minutes until the onion softens and turns translucent. Stir in the lamb and pork; increase heat to medium-high and continue cooking until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste until the meat is covered. Stir in white wine, and simmer for 1 minute. Pour in water and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.
• When the meat is done, remove from the heat and allow to cool while preparing crust.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Lightly brush a 9x13-inch glass baking dish with olive oil.
• Divide the dough into two pieces, with one piece larger than the other. Roll out the large piece on a floured surface until it is large enough to fit the bottom of the baking dish and come up the sides of the pan; press into the baking dish. Roll out the smaller piece of dough into a rectangle to use as the top crust; set aside.
• Stir Kefalotiri cheese, potato, and rice into meat mixture. Season with parsley, mint, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Add egg and mix until well combined. Pour this mixture into the baking dish and top with remaining piece of dough. Brush the top with a little water and olive oil.
• Bake pie in preheated oven for 1 hour until deep golden brown.

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef and ground lamb, chopped onion, pine nuts, cinnamon, and salt and black pepper. Cook and stir until the meat is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease.
• Stir in the lemon juice; taste and adjust the seasonings, and let the meat mixture cool.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
• Roll out the thawed pastry sheets to about 1/8-inch thickness. Using a sharp 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out at least 9 rounds per sheet. Lightly brush the inside edges with a little water, and place about 2 teaspoons of filling into the middle of each round. Fold the pastry round in half to cover the filling and seal the edges well. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough circles.
• Brush each pie with a little egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.