Traditional Greek Filo Meat Pie (Kreatopita)

Hi friends!  This post is coming to you from Athens just a few days before my trip to Italy and Greece comes to an end.  Today I am sharing with you a very flavorful recipe from the northern part of Greece, where I come from.  This traditional Greek filo meat pie (kreatopita) is a savory dish which can be made ahead of time and served as an entree or, in smaller portions, as an appetizer.

Filo Pies:  Part of the Culinary Tradition of Northern Greece

Filo pies (pites), and their many varieties, are a cornerstone of the culinary tradition of northern Greece.  They are also among the oldest and most beloved dishes of the region.  Filo pies are made with modest and readily-available ingredients and are considered a real triumph of simplicity and ingenuity.

Pites come in different shapes and sizes and this rustic spiral is one of the quickest styles to make.  Here are some of the other very popular pites recipes I have shared over the past six years: Authentic Greek Spanakopita with Mixed Greens, Classic Spanakopita, Zucchini & Feta Pie, Greek Chicken Filo Pie and Feta Cheese Filo Triangles.

The Three Parts of this Traditional Greek Filo Meat Pie

This dish consists of three parts.  Once assembled this pita can be stored in the refrigerator and baked just before serving, making it ideal for when you do not want to “fuss” over your food at the last minute. 

1. The first part is of course, the filo.  Use the best quality you can find, because it makes all the difference. I used my favorite filo from Fillo Factory.
2. The second part is the super flavorful meat filling
3. The last part is the yogurt-egg wash to brush on the filo, to avoid cracking

Ingredients You Will Need for the Spiral Filo Meat Pie

• First of all, the filo pastry (*):  make sure it is defrosted in the refrigerator overnight and brought to room temperature before using
• For the meat mixture you will need:  ground beef, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and tomato pastata (this can easily be prepared the day before).  Tomato passata is strained and pureed tomatoes with great flavor
• For the yogurt-egg mixture, you will need:  Greek-style yogurt, egg, and melted butter

How to Roll and Shape the filo spirals

1. Lay the filo on a clean surface, brush with the yogurt-egg wash, and place the meat filling along the long side of the filo dough.

2. Roll the filo into a long log and twist it to form a spiral, making certain that you enclose the filling

3. Repeat the process to make three rolls in total and place each one of them at the end of the previous one. 

4. Brush the top with some olive oil (or cooled melted butter), sprinkle with sesame seeds, and bake

5. Let it cool slightly, cut into wedges, and serve!

Why this recipe works

Filo pastry is used widely to make sweet and savory dishes in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, where it is considered a staple.  People are often intimidated by it because of its tendency to flake.

As we twist the filo to make the spirals, the pastry does not have enough elasticity and can crumble and break. The solution?  Brushing a mixture of yogurt, eggs, and butter lightly on the filo!  This simple technique will add some moisture and additional flavor to the oil, and, it will stop the pastry from breaking while rolling; especially when forming these rustic spirals!

What you need to know about filo

1. Filo comes in different thicknesses:  the number you see on a box of filo indicates how thick it is. The lower the number, the thinner and more delicate the filo.  Lower numbered filo requires a lighter touch with the pastry brush to avoid tearing.  The most common numbers are #4 (thin and pliable) and #7 (slightly thicker, a bit easier to work with). There is also the “country style” filo, a much thicker kind of filo, used for hearty filo pies.  (*) For this recipe, I am using a medium-weight filo.
2. Filo comes in different sizes:   some packages have large sizes of filo (13″ x 18″), suitable for larger pans, and some packages have smaller sizes of filo (9″ x 13″), for smaller pans. If you are using a smaller pan but can only find the larger-sized filo, just cut the larger sheets in half.
3. The weight of the filo:   no matter the size or the thickness, the weight of a filo package in the U.S. is always going to be one pound.  This means that the box with the thinner filo will have more sheets while the box with the thicker filo will have fewer!

This recipe is in collaboration with Fillo Factory. 

❧ You can find this favorite filo dough at Whole Foods and several small local stores.  I love the quality of the Fillo Factory products and I always make sure to stash a couple of boxes in the freezer! ❧

5.0 from 4 reviews

Traditional Greek Filo Meat Pie (kreatopita)

 

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Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

 

A delicious recipe for a hearty meat filo pie, from Northern Greece

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• The pastry:
• 8 oz. filo (1/2 package), thawed and at room temperature
• The yogurt-egg mixture:
• 2 TBSP. Greek yogurt, plain
• 1 egg
• 2 TBSP. butter, melted
• The meat filling:
• 2 TBSP. olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. ground pepper
• ½ tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. coriander
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ cup tomato passata
• ½ cup water
• 2 TBSP. fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
• For the topping:
• Sesame seeds
• Olive oil or melted butter

Instructions

1. For the meat filling: heat the olive oil in a large skillet under medium-high heat. Cook the onion for a few minutes and then add the garlic. Cook for two minutes more until softened and lightly browned.
2. Add the ground beef to the skillet and brown well, breaking it up as you go with a wooden spoon. Stir in the seasonings and spices and cook for a few more minutes.
3. Add the tomato passata and the water and reduce the heat. Simmer the mixture until most of the water is evaporated but it is still moist. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Stir in the fresh parsley and set aside to cool completely.
4. For the yogurt-egg mixture: in a small bowl, stir the yogurt, egg, and cooled melted butter together and set aside.
5. Turn on the oven to 375°F.
6. For the filo: open the thawed filo packet and unroll it. Remove one layer of filo and place on a clean surface. Cover the remainder of filo with a tea towel while you work so the rest of the stack does not dry out.
7. Lightly brush the surface of the filo with some of the yogurt mixture (you do not have to cover every inch). Repeat with a second layer of filo, and brush that too with some of the yogurt mixture. Top with a third layer of filo, but do not brush that layer with the yogurt mixture.
8. Place one third of the cooled meat mixture along the left edge of the filo stack. Gently roll up the filo towards the right side, making sure the log is not rolled too tightly.
9. Gently twist the filo log to form a spiral. Lift it carefully and place it in a heavy bottomed skillet lined with parchment paper. Create a second and a third filo log following the same procedure. Continue forming the spiral by placing each log inside the end of the previous one. It does not have to be perfect!
10. Brush the top of the spiral with some melted butter, or olive oil, sprinkle with some sesame seeds, and bake for about 40 minutes, or, until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven, slide into a platter, and let it cool. Cut into wedges and serve with a nice, green salad.

Notes

Make ahead: you can assemble the whole dish ahead of time and freeze it. Then you can either thaw slightly and bake, or, bake straight from the freezer.

Storing: You can store the filo meat pie in the refrigerator for up to four days. To reheat, place the slices you need to warm up in a hot oven for about 10-12 minutes. Do not microwave as the filo will become mushy!

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