I cut this recipe out of the Listener in 1993 (see the photo of the cutting below). It’s a delightful story about Lois Daish and her greek neighbours in Wellington. She describes the smell of the pie wafting down the street and how she learnt from Voula how to make it.

There is so much I love about this story: I love how Voula brought her recipe halfway across the world and adapted it to New Zealand, using normal old silverbeet and a block of mild cheese from the supermarket. I love the lesson in making paper thin pastry, and how the recipe for the pastry was handed down by her greek mother in law. I got so interested in the origins of phyllo pastry and ‘pita’ (Greek pies) it sent me on a wild google chase around all the regions of Greece and the many variants: thick pastry and thin, square pies and round. I love the method of tossing together the uncooked vegetables, cheese, eggs and oil to assemble the pie, it’s so fast. I love the way just about everything comes out of the garden, even the eggs if you have chooks.

Prasopita translates as leek pie, so the leeks dominate and the silverbeet fills in the gaps. When I don’t have time to make the pastry I substitute store bought filo (you only use 5 or 6 sheets). It uses a LOT of oil, and I recommend using it all. I have tried reducing the amount of oil out of health or budget reasons and it isn’t as good. The amount of oil stated results in leeks that are soft and melting, almost confit leeks, and a pastry that is crispy and fried around the edges.

This makes a big pie for a large family feast, It is nice the next day too, for lunch.

Note:  over the years I lost page two of the original recipe so the last bit is finished by memory.

Voula’s Prasopita

Pastry

• 300 ml cold water
• 450 g plain flour (approximately)

Filling

• 1kg leeks, trimmed, washed and finely sliced
• 500 g silverbeet, leaves and stalks, finely sliced
• 350 g mild or tasty cheese, grated
• 3-4 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 100 ml olive oil

Finishing

• 200 ml olive oil
• 75 ml cold water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and make the pastry: Put the cold water into a bowl and then gradually add the flour, first using a wooden spoon and then your hands until you have a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface until it is smooth. Leave to rest while you make the filling.
2. Put the prepared leeks and silverbeet into a large bowl and add the cheese, eggs, salt and oil. Toss with your hands as though you are tossing a salad until it is all evenly coated in the dressing.
3. Divide the pastry into 5 equal balls. Take a metal baking dish approximately 30cm by 40cm. Spread half the finishing oil in the bottom. Dust your working bench with a generous amount of flour and roll the first ball of dough, stretching it and cajoling it until it is paper thin, transparent and the size of your baking dish. Lay it in the bottom of the dish, mending any tears with your fingers as you go.
4. Assemble the pie: Take a small handful of vegetable mixture and sprinkle it over the first layer of pastry (you will be making four layers of filling but the first and last will be spread very thinly). Repeat the rolling of pastry and layering of vegetables until you have four layers of filling and pastry, with a fifth piece of pastry draped on top of the fourth layer of filling. Very importantly, the first and last layers of vegetable filling must be just a small handful sprinkled over – the bulk of the filling is in the second and third layers.
5. Mix together the remaining finishing oil with the water and sprinkle this over the top of the pie. Bake 180C for 50 to 60 minutes until cooked through and golden.

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