Describing this traditional recipe from the island of Kos in the Dodecanese, the late Greek gastronomy researcher Evi Voutsina remembered what she was told by the woman who gave her this recipe, Argiro Chartofilidou.
“The dish is special, festive and, as its title suggests, fit for pashas,” Voutsina wrote. “In the past, they would take a good piece of meat from a homegrown pig, chop it finely with an axe and turn it into minced meat. They would do the same with some of the fat.”
Vasilis Chatzivasileiou, a lawyer and researcher from Kos, told Voutsina that this dish was originally for the elite, but eventually made its way into working-class homes. It contains eggs, butter, cheese and meat—ingredients that the poor couldn’t always afford.
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Makes a 30 cm diameter baking dish.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 650 g flour
- 8 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt (level)
For greasing the dough:
For the filling and baking:
- 1,500 g ground pork
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1/3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 700 g dry mizithra cheese, grated
- 50 ml olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 600 ml vegetable broth
- 2 eggs
- 150 g butter, melted
Instructions
To make the dough:
- To make the Pasa Makarouna, start by placing all the dough ingredients in a deep bowl or in the bowl of a mixer. Knead with your hands or the dough hook until you achieve a smooth and elastic dough.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
- On a floured surface, divide the dough into 8 equal parts and shape them into balls.
- Roll each ball into a round sheet with a diameter that matches the size of your pan. Place each sheet on top of the other, inserting a piece of absorbent kitchen paper between them to prevent sticking.
- In a large pot with plenty of salted boiling water, cook each sheet of dough one by one for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them in a deep dish with cold salted water.
- Take the sheets out of the cold water and drain them on a kitchen towel.
Filling & Baking:
- In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the ground meat with the onions for 3-4 minutes until slightly browned.
- Season with salt and pepper, add the cinnamon and continue cooking for 15-18 minutes, until all the liquids have evaporated. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C and lightly grease your baking pan with butter.
- Place one sheet of dough in the pan, brush it with butter, sprinkle with a bit of mizithra cheese and spread a layer of meat on top. Repeat this process until all ingredients are used up.
- Top with the last sheet of dough and brush it with butter.
- Score the pie into pieces and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until it begins to turn golden.
- Remove the pan from the oven and pour the broth over the pie.
- Return to the oven and bake for another 20-30 minutes, or until it starts to brown again.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with the melted butter, then pour this mixture over the surface of the pie. Continue baking for another 10 minutes, or until a golden crust forms on top and all the liquids have evaporated.
- Remove from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving. The top will be soft and not overcooked.
This article originally appeared in Gastronomos, Kathimerini’s monthly food magazine.