HONEY PIE

Today we had the pleasure and honor to be given a recipe for the site by the acclaimed Chef Kostis Kostakis. It’s a favorite pie which is highly sought after at the A la Grek store in Chalandri.

He has no problem telling us his secrets as he’s a man who lovingly creates Cretan recipes and has revolutionized the way the Athenians eat. As he says, “You don't have to cook fancy and complicated recipes to impress with your food. Good raw material, a lot of love and technique are what’s needed.”

Ingredients:
Dough
1 kg of hard flour
500 - 550g water
100g olive oil
20g salt
Stuffing:
1 kg of eggplants
3 moderately dry onions
1 leek
3 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch of mint
5 fresh ripe tomatoes (grated)
200g Carolina rice
Salt & pepper
Cumin

Method:
First we start making the dough. In a bowl, knead the ingredients very well to have a soft and supple dough. Let it rest for about an hour.
In the meantime, clean the eggplants and cut them into cubes. Chop the rest of the vegetables.
In a frying pan sauté all the vegetables in olive oil, except the tomatoes and the herbs. When the eggplant is soft and has taken color, add the grated tomatoes and allow the filling to boil. When it is almost ready, pour the rice to cook in the excess juices. Then add the parsley, mint and spices.
Allow to boil for a while on low temperature and stir continuously until the rice is sticky. Remove from the heat and allow the filling to cool down.
Then grease a baking pan and divide the dough into 5 balls. Roll out one very thin leaf and place in the pan, putting olive oil in the middle. At the end, pour the filling and turn the edges of the dough to make a bed. Drizzle on top a little olive oil and water.
Bake in the oven at 170 degrees for an hour and a bit.

Good luck!!!

Kosti, thank you very much for your wonderful recipe.
A la Grec, 65 Agia Paraskevi, Chalandri, 211 0122071