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Marathopites
Fennel hand pies
Marathopites: Cretan pan-fried hand pies stuffed with wild fennel, spring onion and herbs
In early spring, when wild fennel sprouts along the field walls around Rethymno, Cretan cooks gather armfuls of the feathery fronds for marathopites, thin olive-oil pastry wrapped round a green, aniseed-sweet filling and cooked in a pan. They are Lenten food, so they contain no cheese or egg, and they are eaten warm with olives and a glass of water or tea. Wild fennel can be hard to find outside the Mediterranean; the fronds from bulb fennel mixed with dill give a close flavour. Common mistake: leaving the greens wet after washing, which steams the pastry from inside and splits it. Chef's tip: salt the chopped greens and squeeze them hard in a cloth before mixing the filling.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 14 oz plain flourplus extra for rolling
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¾ cup warm water
For the filling
- 10 ½ oz wild fennel frondsor fronds from bulb fennel, finely chopped
- 1 oz fresh dillchopped
- 6 spring onionsfinely sliced
- 1 leekwhite and pale green, finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp black pepper
For cooking
- ½ cup olive oilfor shallow-frying
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz plain flour and ¾ tsp salt, add ¼ cup olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice and ¾ cup warm water and knead for 5 minutes into a soft, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
35 minStep 2: Toss 10 ½ oz wild fennel fronds, 1 oz fresh dill, 6 spring onions and 1 leek with 1 tsp salt and leave for 10 minutes. Squeeze handfuls tightly in a clean cloth until no more liquid runs out.
10 minStep 3: Mix the greens with 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and ½ tsp black pepper. Taste: it should be well seasoned and fragrant.
Step 4: Divide the dough into 12 balls. Roll each into a thin round about 15 cm across.
Step 5: Put 2 heaped tablespoons of filling on one half of each round, fold over into a half-moon and press the edges firmly with a fork to seal. Flatten gently with your palm.
Step 6: Heat a few tablespoons of ½ cup olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the pies in batches for 3–4 minutes a side, until golden and blistered, adding more oil as needed.
25 minStep 7: Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 49 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does marathopites take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 30 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- 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 lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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