Η συνταγή και στα ελληνικά στο τέλος της ανάρτησης!

Going back to my childhood, I always remember the stories my father used to tell us about his life as a child. He was born in 1936 in a small mountainous village in the mainland Greece. He was the first out of three children in his family, one boy and two girls. It was a very difficult era back then here. In 1940 Greece has entered the war following 5 years of occupation.

My father, living in the countryside, was luckier than other kids who lived in main cities, in a sense that there was always some kind of food to eat. He was telling us that they had only the basics and his mother-my grandmother-and many other women had to be very inventive to be able to offer something to their families. Thank God and nature, the mountains were full of greens with which the housewives used to make pies.

Pies were very common back then, because they were made with whatever each one possessed. Cheese, greens, zucchinis, onions etc. Sometimes when they didn’t have real flour, they used flour made from carob. It is not as fine as the wheat flour, but when your stomach plays the violin from hunger I guess you are not that picky right?

Having all this in my mind and blessing my good fortune for not having to live under such circumstances, I have decided to make this ground meat pie to feed my family and my friends. This is a rich in flavor, very filling type of pie which I am sure if they had it back then, they would have considered it manna.

You can use phyllo dough as I did or you can make it with puff pastry as well. The result will be equally tasty.

So, it’s pie time!

Ground Meat Pie (Kimadopita)

Ingredients

A package of phyllo dough (mine here had 6 thick sheets)

500 gr./17 oz. ground beef

300 gr./ 10 oz.  finely chopped tomatoes (I used canned)

1 large onion or two small, finely chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup red wine

200 gr./ 7 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

3 bay leaves

1 tbsp sugar

100 gr./3.5 oz. Edam cheese, ground

A handful of cracked wheat

Olive oil to oil the phyllo sheets

 

Instructions

In a skillet put the 3 tbsp of olive oil in high heat and sauté the onion for couple of minutes.

Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté.

Throw the ground beef and sauté for 3 minutes.

Pour the wine and let boil until most of it has been evaporated.

Next add the chopped tomatoes, salt, cinnamon, ground nutmeg, sugar and bay leaves. Lower heat to low and simmer for 50 minutes.

Remove from fire, add the cracked wheat and cheese and stir to combine.

Preheat oven to 175°/ 375° F.

Take a rectangular pan 24cmX35cm and oil it very well.

Divide your phyllo sheets equally in two batches.

Put one phyllo sheet so as the bottom of the pan to be covered and some of the phyllo to fall out of the pan.

Oil it and place the next sheet.

Oil again and add the 3rd phyllo sheet.

At this point I added the ground meat filling since my package had 6 thick sheets of phyllo.

On top of the filling add the 4^th phyllo.

Oil again and place the 5^th and 6^th accordingly.

Oil the surface of the pie and cut the top phyllo sheets in pieces.

Put at the lower level of your oven and bake for approximately 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Let it cool and serve.