Fofi’s Cretan Marathopites

Course
Appetizer, dinner, entree, grazing, greek pie, lunch, Main Course, pie, Side Dish
Cuisine
Greek
Fofi’s Cretan Marathopites

Our last pie for the Greek Pie Drive 2023 is shared by Fofi @fofimeli from the family of @ladi_biosas .

“Crete has more sunshine than anywhere else in Greece and that alone makes just about everything taste delicious. In the Cretan valleys and mountains Fennel is in abundance and it is a common ingredient in the Cretan cuisine. That is why Cretan Marathopites are the best!” Fofi

Ingredients

  • For the dough you will need…
  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  • ½ cup Ladi Biosas Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
  • 60 ml raki or ouzo
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 1 tap sea salt
  • 500 g plain or all-purpose flour
  • For the filling you will need…
  • 150 g fennel greens
  • 350 g spinach
  • 2 medium red onions
  • 3 tbsp Ladi Biosas Organic EVOO
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp cracked black pepper
  • Extra Olive Oil to fry the "Cretan Marathopites"

Method

  1. Preparing the dough
  2. Mix all the wet ingredients with the flour and sea salt
  3. Knead the dough very well and set it aside in a bowl, covered with a tea towel, to rest for half an hour
  4. Preparing the filling
  5. Chop all the greens
  6. Chop the onions as finely as possible
  7. Toss the greens and onions in a bowl with the EVOO, sea salt and pepper
  8. Preparing the Cretan Marathopites
  9. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface
  10. Divide it into 20 small balls
  11. Flatten and roll out each dough piece into a thin fillo sheet – you don’t want them to be too thin or too thick
  12. Follow the same process for all of the pieces (Tip: Use a side plate to make a perfect circle. Lay the plate on your fillo sheet and using a knife, cut around the plate to form the perfect circle)
  13. For each small Cretan Marathopita you need two fillo circles
  14. Spread 1/10 of the filling on a fillo circle, leaving a 2cm gap between the filling and the fillo edge.
  15. Lay a second fillo circle on top
  16. Seal the two fillo circles together using either a fork or by twisting and braiding the two fillo circles together with your hands
  17. Add enough EVOO to a fry pan to shallow fry the Marathopites and heat on medium
  18. When the oil is hot, transfer a Marathopita to the frypan
  19. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden-brown
  20. Follow the same process for all of the Cretan Marathopites and don't forget to add a little olive oil to your pan each time
  21. Serving the Cretan Marathopites
  22. Serve the Cretan Marathopites warm or cooled with a Greek Salad
  23. Kali Orexi!