This week, we're back to comfort food, but with a twist. We're taking inspiration from around the globe to bring dinner to the table. Our journey continues with a pot pie recipe inspired by the cuisine of Greece and other Mediterranean countries. Tender ground meat and vegetables get bathed in briny crumbled feta and crowned by rose-shaped bundles of crispy phyllo dough. Add a little chopped cucumber and yogurt at the table and it's a trip to Athens without leaving your table.
If you want to play around with this one, keep it limited to the pot pie filling. You can use either of the ground meats indicated, any kind of cooked lamb, shredded cooked chicken, strips of tender beef or pork, or even lentils or beans as a foundation. The types of vegetables can be varied, but once again (and ongoing) try to make a variety of colors, flavors, and textures where you go. This will give you a healthier, tastier, and prettier dish at the table. You can use honey in place of the maple syrup - I just used that because I had it on hand and had a hankering. You can skip the feta cheese, but I love the tangy pop it gives to the finished dish. If you are worried about making shapes with the phyllo dough (don't be - it's as simple as "rolling" sheets into a rough spiral), you can also just scrunch it up and cover your casserole dish that way too. Don't let concern stop you from enjoying this great dish.
I like to toss chopped cucumbers and plain yogurt together with a little freshly minced garlic to serve with this fun pot pie. I'd say a glass of chilled wine would be nice with it (and it would!), but I've been cold lately and had a hot cup of mint tea with it. It was great. However you choose to serve it and serve with it, enjoy!
Phyllo-Crusted Mediterranean Pot Pie
- 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
- ½ red bell pepper, roughly chopped
- ½ yellow bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
- 1 red onions, sliced into thin wedges
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning or similar (I used Greek Freak Mediterranean Seasoning), plus more for garnishing
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 ounces feta cheese, coarsely crumbled
- 4 sheets phyllo pastry, fully thawed
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef or turkey and brown thoroughly, stirring often. Add the olive oil, Italian seasoning.; stir. Add the chopped peppers, zucchini, onions, and tomatoes; stir gently and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Mix the maple syrup and red wine vinegar together and pour over the contents of the skillet.
Pour the meat and vegetable mixture into a baking dish. Sprinkle the feta cheese slices evenly over the top of the dish.
Lightly coat a sheet of phyllo pastry, pull a rectangle approximately 3" x 9" from the sheet, roll and tuck it gently to make a rose shape, and place it on top of the pie. Repeat with the rest of that sheet and more sheets until the top of the pie dish is covered (about four or five sheets). Sprinkle generously with a bit of extra seasoning.
Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Yields: 6-8 servings
- Preparation Time: 1 hour