Beach snacks. Yes, the lure of an abundant picnic basket had me in the kitchen during 35 degree celsius plus temperatures to do a spot of baking. My inspiration was two fold: some wonderfully large, perfectly white frothy leeks at my local market and the memory of my Greek summer breakfast staple – a piping hot pita fresh from the baker and a chilled frappe.
I don’t think there is anything that can quite compare with a freshly baked pita. Spinach, cheese, onion, leek, pumpkin – I am happy not to discriminate when it comes to the filling and I am quick to delight in burning the tips of my fingers to break off the crispy edges of the olive oil rich hand rolled phyllo pastry.
While there are plenty of excellent Greek bakers near where I live in Sydney, many with freshly baked pitas – I was keen to have the aroma of a Greek bakery, all olive-oil and dill scented air, in my own home. As I chose to do a spot of baking during one Australia’s greatest summer heatwaves, I also inadvertently probably achieved a temperature in my kitchen, similar to the centre of a Greek baker’s wood fired oven. However, the hot toil was worth it and these little sesame crusted, leek pies called ‘prasopita’ made a perfect beach snack. The sweetness of the leeks contrasted beautifully with the sour, salty tang of the Greek goat’s milk feta. Slices of crunchy cucumber, chilled watermelon and honey-sweet mango cheeks completed our breakfast feast, along with a traditional Greek ‘frappe’ – a whipped ice cold coffee.
Prasopita (Leek Pie)
Πρασόπιτα
Ingredients
- 12 phyllo sheets thawed
- 4 cups leeks sliced
- 4 spring onions finely chopped
- 1 small bunch fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 egg beaten
- 150 g Greek goat's feta cheese crumbled
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- extra virgin olive oil for brushing phyllo
- 1 egg and 1 tsp water (egg wash) to finish
- sesame seeds to finish
Instructions
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Pre-heat oven to 180C, then prepare the filling. Wash, trim and finely chop the leeks - using the white part only. Heat a saucepan, add a little EVOO and sauce the leeks and spring onions until tender and all the moisture has been removed. Take off the heat and allow the leek mixture to cool.
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In a seperate bowl, crumble the goat's feta well, then add the beaten egg, the dill and the cooled leek mixture, season with pepper and only a little salt (the feta will be salty enough). Mix well to combine the filling.
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Set aside two baking sheets, lined with baking paper. Then unroll your thawed phyllo. Layer 3 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing EVOO in between each layer. Keep the phyllo that you are not using under a lightly damp tea towel to keep them from drying out. Cut the phyllo stack into three strips. Place 1 Tbsp of filling at one end of each strip of layered dough. Starting at the filled end, bring the bottom corner up to the top, creating a triangle that encases the filling. Then, fold the triangle over. Then, fold the triangle down. Continue folding until the end of the dough is reached. Add a little more EVOO to the end to ensure it sticks firmly. Place the triangle on a baking sheet, seam-side down and brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame. Continue with the remaining dough and filling. Bake the triangles for 15 minutes or until golden and puffed.
