Spinach-filled spanakopita is the most famous Greek pita. However, there are countless varieties of pitas in Greece from chicken, wild greens and pumpkin to apple. On my last visit to the Peloponnese I enjoyed a rustic mushroom pie, after a long day of swimming in the warm end-of-summer sea. It was strong in forest like aromas, a reminder that autumn was just on the horizon.
Plump white button mushrooms and their latte coloured Swiss cousins are making their way into the markets, right on queue for the Australian autumn. Now feels like the right time for a mushroom pita to make its debut in my kitchen. I slice onions and leek, letting them slowly soften in olive oil and turn a golden yellow. Next come the finely diced red peppers, to soften and sweeten with the onions and leeks. In another pan, the edges of the sliced mushrooms are becoming a little brown, as they to cook in a little olive oil. As I scatter over some garlic and summer savoury, my kitchen starts to smell like autumn. I grate some salty Greek sheep’s milk graviera cheese, and stir this through the leek and mushroom mixture. I add some sour trahana to soak up the vegetable juices in the pita and stop it from going soggy. It is read to be encased in crunchy layers of rustic filo. A final flourish of sesame seeds and the pita is into the oven, sending the aromas of autumn from the kitchen into the rest of the house.
Mushroom pita with peppers and graviera (Μανιταρόπιτα)
Ingredients
- 6 leaves rustic filo pastry
- 1 kg mushrooms mixed button, Swiss brown etc thickly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 small bunch fresh thyme leaves only
- 3 small onions finely sliced
- 1 leek finely sliced
- 3 shallots (scallions) finely sliced
- 2 red peppers (capsicums or florina) finely sliced
- 1 bunch parsley finely chopped
- 1 small wine glass Trahanas
- 150g Kefalograveria cheese grated
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 eggs beaten
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 180C. Place a pan over high heat and let it get very hot. Add a little olive oil to the pan along with the mushrooms. Sauté until the edges start to become brown, sprinkle over the garlic and thyme. Set the mushrooms aside in a large bowl.
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Place the same pan over high heat and let it get very hot. Add a little more olive oil and add the sliced onions and leek. Saute until they become a golden yellow. Then add the diced red peppers and continue to cook until they have softened. Then add to the bowl with the mushrooms.
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Add the uncooked trahanas to the mushroom and onion mixture. Add the raw scallions and cheese, season to taste and then stir through the beaten eggs to combine well.
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Rub a little olive oil in the base of a baking dish. Cover with a sheet of filo, drizzle with olive oil. Cover with another sheet of filo, drizzle with olive oil and repeat with the third leaf of filo. Add the filling and then cover with a sheet of filo, drizzle with olive oil. Repeat with the final two layers. Turn the edges that are hanging over the baking pan inward and brush them with olive oil as well as the whole surface of the pita. Score into pieces, making sure not to cut all the way down to the bottom. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and place on the highest rack in the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until lightly golden. When ready, remove from oven and brush with a little more olive oil. Allow the pita to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
