This homemade Greek pie will blow your mind, the pastry is crunchy and the filling is delicious. It takes a little bit longer to prepare, but it's worth it!
Vegan, nut free, soy free | Serves 6-8 | SIDE
Ingredients:
For the filling:
- 2 aubergines (eggplant)
- 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
- Salt and pepper
- 50g grated cheese (I used Tesco's free from)
- 1/2 teaspoon of each oregano, garlic granules, chilli flakes and cumin
- Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
For the pastry:
- 250g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
- 125ml of lukewarm water
To assemble:
- 5 tablespoons of olive oil
- A sprinkle of sesame seeds (optional)
Steps:
1.Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with some parchment paper.
2.In a bowl add the flour, salt and sugar and mix to combine. Then add the olive oil, vinegar and water. Combine with a spoon and then continue with your hands.
3.Knead for a couple of minutes to bring everything together, then turn the dough on a clean surface and knead for 10 minutes approximately.
4.Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a damp towel and let it relax while you prepare the filling. You can do this step the night or morning before, just keep the pastry in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
5.If you do not want to make the pastry feel free to use filo or puff pastry instead. Here is some guidance on how to use the filo pastry and puff pastry .
6.Cut the aubergines in half, slightly score them with a knife, as shown in the following picture, and bake for 30 minutes.
7.Once the aubergines are baked, cut in small pieces and pulse in a food processor for few seconds.
8.Add a sieve on a bowl and add the aubergines in with a generous pinch of salt and push with the back of a spoon to remove the excess water.
9.Discard the water, add the aubergine mixture in the bowl and add all the remaining ingredients. Combine well and taste to adjust the seasoning to your preference. Let aside to cool down until we prepare the pastry.
10.Grease a (28x20cm) baking tray with one tablespoon of olive oil.
11.Add the pastry in a clean surface that is lightly dusted with flour. Cut the dough into two pieces, one piece must be slightly bigger than the other one, as we will use it for the base of the pie.
12.Use a rolling pin to roll the bigger piece of the dough into a thin rectangle as shown below. Cut the rectangle in the middle and place one piece on half the baking tray leaving some of the pastry outside of the tray.
13.Sprinkle some olive on the sheet and add the other one to cover the remaining of the base of the tray. The sheets can overlap, just make sure that you added olive oil.
14.Add the aubergine mixture (make sure is cold!) and spread it evenly.
15.Roll out the second piece of the dough, cut again in two pieces and cover the filling. Sprinkle some olive oil, and fold in the edges of the dough in order to crimp the pie.
16.Brush the rest of the olive oil on the pie, cut into 8 pieces and bake for 60 minutes or until golden brown.
17.Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving. Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Happy cooking everyone!
