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Alevropita
Crisp batter pie with feta
Alevrópita: Zagori's thin, crackly batter pie studded with feta
Shepherd families in the stone villages of Zagori, north of Ioannina, made alevropita when there was no time to roll pastry: a runny flour batter poured over sizzling oil in a very hot tin, dotted with feta and baked until crisp and lacy at the edges. It's now on every taverna table in Epirus, cut into rough squares and eaten warm with a bowl of thick yoghurt or a tomato salad. Feta is usually made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian feta-style cheese if you need to. Common mistake: pouring the batter into a cold tin — the oil must be smoking-hot, or the pie turns heavy instead of crunchy. Chef's tip: use a wide, shallow metal tray so the batter is only about 5 mm deep.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 475°F (425°F fan) or as high as it goes. Pour ¼ cup olive oil into a 30 × 40 cm metal baking tray and put it in the oven for 10 minutes to get very hot.
10 minStep 2: Whisk 8 oz plain flour, 1 ½ cups cold water, ½ tsp salt and the 1 egg if using into a smooth, thin batter, about as runny as single cream.
Step 3: Take out the tray and pour the batter in at once; it should sizzle and spread to the corners. Tilt to cover the base.
Step 5: Bake on the lowest shelf for 18–22 minutes, until the top is blistered and deep golden and the edges are lacy and crisp.
20 minStep 6: Cool for 5 minutes, cut into squares and serve warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does alevropita take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of feta?
- Goat's cheese or ricotta salata, same amount.
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